


Who Needs Normal?

by mnb_luxe



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Comfort Later, Creepy Uncle, Dreams and Nightmares, Dreamsharing, Drug Abuse, Emotional, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, I seriously love their friendship, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kidnapping, M/M, Rape, SUGA AND DAICHI ARE THE BEST OF FRIENDS, Seriously Its Dark, Slight Panic Attack, Slow Burn, domestic abuse, house fire, no beta we die like men, this is going to hurt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:28:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24515395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mnb_luxe/pseuds/mnb_luxe
Summary: When your soulmate needs you the most a soulmark appears on both of you. Each soul mark is unique to each couple. Once you have your mark you begin to share dreams, and nightmares. Kuroo Tetsuro gets his soul mark at just five years old. His soulmate needs him and he doesn't know how long it will be until he can help at all. Sawamura Daichi needs help. He thought his life was normal. He thought his family was normal. Until he finds out how wrong he is.Please keep an eye on tags as they will evolve and change with the story. If anything triggers you or makes you uncomfortable please don't read. There is always a back button.
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi
Comments: 84
Kudos: 192





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am posting the first chapter of my first fic in the Haikyuu! fandom. I love some angst so just prepare yourselves. I am my own editor and beta reader so if you find any big flaws please point them out to me.  
> Come along on my journey of angst and pain and an eventual happy ever after.  
> Feel free to leave kudos and comments along the way. It would be super encouraging!
> 
> OH! ALSO!  
> Daichi's dreams will be in italic  
> Kuroo's dreams will be in bold

Typically it happens around puberty, you and your soulmate have a specific mark appear on your skin, it could be anywhere on your body but only you and your soulmate have that specific pattern, shape, or image. It has been said (but never totally proven) that the soulmarks appear when you need your soulmate most. That usually happens around puberty because there is nothing more terrifying than middle school. But it isn’t unheard of for soulmates to get their mark early in some cases if they have a particularly troubling childhood, or later in life if you have a particularly easy life without much hardship. But eventually everyone needs help and everyone needs someone they know is going to be there for them. 

Sometime after the mark appears you begin to share dreams. Sometimes they’re good happy dreams about summer vacation and cute animals, and sometimes you share the deepest darkest nightmares you hide within your subconscious. While you’re young you mostly just see whatever it is that your soulmate is seeing in the dream. As you grow and learn more about your soulmate through each other's dreams you can begin to change things in the landscape of the dream, communicating through feelings you can push into the subconscious of your soulmate.. But you never see their face and you can never directly speak. 

This is how the world has been for years now and while nobody can say why it started, divorce rates have never been lower and people in general seem happier. It isn’t like it used to be where you have to date a bunch and hope that one day you find someone that will make you happy. You are born knowing someone out there will do that and all you have to do is find them. Sure there are some people that ignore their soulmate and date and marry other people but those are mostly the exception to the rule, people whose soulmates have died or rejected them. 

Kuroo Tetsurou has had his mark for as long as he can remember. Two large dots, one orange and one red, connected by three smaller dots and a white line right through the middle that is placed on the top of his shoulder. His mark appeared before anyone else he has ever known, before he even knew what it was or what it meant. He was five and summer vacation had just started. His family was on vacation at the beach and when he took his shirt off to go into the ocean but when he did he noticed the design on his shoulder and went to ask his mom what it was. When she saw it he heard his mother gasp. Kuroo turned around to her to ask what was wrong and he saw tears in her eyes. He immediately got scared at the glistening of unshed tears in his mother's eyes. She pulled him aside and asked him a lot of questions about school and his friends and if he ever felt sad but he had a great life and was always a happy kid. She let him go play but told him they would talk about it more before bed. 

After hours of fun on the beach and a nice dinner with his parents his mom helped him through his bedtime routine and tucked him into the bed then she laid down with him to talk about dreams. It must have been really hard for his mother at the time, trying to explain to a five year old that when he goes to sleep he might see dreams and nightmares that belong to someone else. It was hard for a five year old to grasp something so complicated but his mother knew that if her son’s soulmark appeared at such a young age that his soulmate's life was not easy or fun or happy like the life Kuroo was blessed to live. She tried to explain this to her son as simply as she could and hope that he understood or even if he didn’t understand, he was comfortable coming to her for help or if he had questions. 

However he did not see anything strange or out of the ordinary in his dreams that night, or that week, not even that year. It was the day before his seventh birthday and because they talked about it in school he understood what a soulmate was and what the dreams meant. He kept his soulmark to himself, not wanting people to know about the mark and that his soulmate might be sad. It was hard enough dealing with that feeling by himself. The night before his seventh birthday was the first night he was pulled from his own pleasant dreams into something much more garish. 

_ There was the smell of cedar and pine trees and smoke all around him and he felt incredibly scared. It was dark outside and while the moon was full and high in the sky it hardly shed a single drop of light to where he was standing and looking out at the damp forest floor. _ It felt like he was watching a movie, he could see everything happening but if he opened his mouth to say something nothing would come out and he was frozen to the spot watching everything happening and unable to budge.  _ There was a figure a couple yards ahead of him. They were small in stature and they were running as fast as small legs could carry them.  _ I think its a little boy. Maybe around my age.  _ The forest blurred around him as his vision focused on the boy running through the trees. In the distance behind him he could hear people yelling loudly. Adult voices that sounded mad. The boy ahead of him did not stop or slow down at all until he ran into a large cliff face. The boy dropped low to the ground and moved his hands carefully over the surface of the rock until his hand moved aside a small bush and behind it there was a hole in the rock. The little boy climbed into the hole in the rock and moved the bush back in front of it as the shouting voices got gradually louder.  _ Who is coming after the boy? Kuroo tried to move his head behind him to see who was chasing the boy but his body again didn’t move. He blinked hard and suddenly his vision of the dream changed.  _ It was darker and colder and a little wet. He felt cramped and tired and afraid, more afraid than he ever had in his life. Ahead of him he could make out nothing but some brush and a few slivers of moonlight.  _ The hole in the rock? Is he seeing the same perspective of his soulmate?  _ The yelling and the voices were louder and closer now. He could make out what they were saying but it didn’t make sense what he was hearing. _

_ “Get your ass out here stupid boy…” _

_ “Hiding is only gonna make it worse…” _

_ “Don’t make me get your grandfather out here…” _

_ “I paid good money for this…” _

There were several different voices shouting and he felt the need to cover his ears and try to block them out. They were angry and mean sounding.

_ The voices get even closer and there is a small squeak of fear that came from Kuroo’s right and he knew it was the little boy. Suddenly the leaves in front of the hole shift and then there are arms grabbing and dragging the boy out of the hole, then screaming. So much screaming. Kuroo can feel the screams radiating their way into his bones. Then blackness.  _

Kuroo sits up in his bed screaming. His voice is even more shrill and frantic than the boy in his dreams. He doesn’t know how long he screams for but suddenly there is light in his bedroom and his mother has her arms wrapped around him tight as she whispers assurances in his ear. He cries for what feels like hours until his mother lays him back down in his bed and holds him until his sniffling turns into deep even breaths of sleep. 

Kuroo had many dreams after the first one, some better and some worse but he would never forget the fear he felt during that first dream he shared with his soulmate. The fear and anxiety coursing through the body of a boy that is supposed to be his forever was the worst feeling he has ever experienced. He knows that until he meets the boy there isn’t much he can do for him but every night he goes to sleep hoping that he will have a wonderful peaceful dream and he can somehow manage to pull that boy inside his happy mind and give him a peaceful night sleep. 

Sometimes he has several nights in a row that he is pulled into his soulmates dream or nightmare. Sometimes he goes months without feeling that familiar pull into the others head space. He can feel when his soulmate is pulled into his dreams too. It feels like you’re being watched, but not in a creepy way. It feels like when your mom is watching you play as a child. Like you’re being watched over and Kuroo really hopes his soulmate feels the same way when Kuroo enters his dreams. 

As they get older and more mature Kuroo and his soulmate are able to manipulate the others dreams slightly. It seems the more they learn about the other the more things in the dream can be changed. It starts off as an accident.  _ Kuroo is in a room, a basement judging by the musty smell and damp air. It is pitch dark and his eyes scan the room for any sign of light or for signs of his soulmate. There is a whimper and small hiccups coming from a corner to his right and all Kuroo wants is to be able to see what is making his soulmate cry.  _ Kuroo just wants there to be a window, or a lamp, heck ANY kind of light!  _ Suddenly to his right Kuroo sees sunlight peaking over a small window in the top of the wall, its faint like the first rays during a sunrise but its there!  _ Did he do that?  _ His soulmate has his head buried in his arms where they rest on his knees. As the light slowly begins to illuminate the small space his soulmate lifts his head slowly and while Kuroo can’t make out any features he can feel the boy slowly relaxing. His shoulders are less tense and his tears slow to a stop. Then darkness.  _

Kuroo isn’t sure if he actually helped the boy or not but he certainly hopes that the sunlight eased the nightmare at least a little bit. A few weeks later it happens again though this one wasn’t a nightmare he was able to wish hard enough for something in his soulmates dream that it suddenly came to life right in front of his eyes. Kuroo makes it a point in every dream he is sucked into to try to change something. Sometimes in nightmares he tries to add some sunlight or a funny face on someone who is scaring the boy. In the nicer dreams he tries to conjure up something even brighter like ice cream cones or a cute puppy to pet. This goes on for several years. He feels his soulmate in his dreams quite often but it seems the boy hasn’t figured out how to make things happen yet. Kuroo wishes he could just talk to the boy and tell him how to do it but in all honesty he still isn’t even sure how he does it. Just that he wishes for something until it happens. But even then there are times it doesn’t work. 

When Kuroo is 12 he falls off his bike and breaks his leg while playing with his best friend Kenma. They were riding down by the creek, where their parents had told them specifically they weren’t allowed to go. Kenma had to run back to his house and tell what happened so the adults could come get Kuroo and take him to the hospital. While Kuroo laid in the dirt all alone waiting for his friend to come back for help he felt so scared and he hurt so badly and for some reason all he could think about was how this must be how his soulmate feels so much. Scared and alone and hurting. The pain in Kuroo’s leg is bad but thinking about his soulmate like this hurt him worse and when his dad found him he was crying so hard he was hiccuping for air. Because not only does he feel for his soulmate but he is selfishly sad for himself too. If he is hurt that means he can’t play volleyball. Volleyball is the thing in this world that makes him the happiest and he won’t be able to play if he is in a cast. So now he hurts and he is selfish. That makes him cry again. That night, with his leg in a cast and a still heavy heart Kuroo drifts off to sleep. It's not a bad dream, but it isn’t a happy dream either. 

**Kuroo is laying on the ground staring up at a dark sky that is filled with millions of tiny stars. He looks around and finds himself on the ground where he fell today and he can feel the cast on his leg even in the dream. There is no moon tonight so the only light is the stars above him. An overwhelming feeling of sadness overtakes Kuroo and he begins to cry. It feels like hours that Kuroo spends crying to the sky when suddenly he feels eyes on him. The familiar feeling only makes him cry harder because somehow to him, he has nothing to really be crying over. His soulmate is here watching him cry over a broken leg and missing volleyball while his soulmate deals with real scary problems every day. Kuroo has his hands covering his face as he sobs when he suddenly feels warmth flow over his entire body. He lifts his hands from his face and opens his eyes to see the most incredibly beautiful sight he’s ever encountered. Suddenly the wet dirt and sky of stars has transformed to green grass and the sun shining bright in a beautiful blue sky. He can feel the sunlight on his skin and a soft breeze blowing his messy hair. He looks around and is astonished to find himself in front of a small pond, clear blue and reflecting the sunlight. His tears taper off instantly as he feels the eyes on him again and somehow his whole body feels lighter, his mind is no longer dwelling on anything negative but instead feels like he could fly away like a bird at any moment. He has no clue how his soulmate managed to change the entire dream this way but it was in this exact moment that Kuroo began to fall in love.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shorter but I'll add more soon!
> 
> Not sure how frequently ill update this but I hope its often!
> 
> Also. I am apologizing in advance for what I am putting our Daichi through.  
> Don't hate me.  
> It'll be worth it later.

Sawamura Daichi thought his life was ok. He thought he was a normal little boy. He thought he lived a normal life. He thought he lived in a small house near a forest with his parents and his grandfather. For the most part he was right. At least he was until he was four years old and he started pre-school. When he started going to school he found out that the way he lived was not normal. He found out that your grandfather was not supposed to hurt you. He found out that your dad and his friends were not supposed to touch you or watch you when you took a bath. He found out that other people had mothers that played with them and took them for ice cream. His mother was usually gone and she usually had a small bag of candy powder that he wasn’t supposed to touch. When Sawamura started school he found out that he was not normal at all. He found out that he was not ok. He thought he lived with his parents and his grandpa. Turned out he lived with monsters. 

After his teacher saw the bruises on Sawamura’s arms in class she called someone and the police came to their house. He didn’t think that was normal either. The cop was asking him questions about his parents and his grandfather and while Sawamura might have been young, he was also incredibly smart. He somehow knew that no matter what he said to this police officer he would not be leaving this house with him. His parents had always told him that the police are bad. The police will try to take people away if they’re bad so Sawamura kept his mouth shut and told the officer that he hurt himself when he was playing outside. His parents were smart enough to keep the bruises under his clothes from that day on. They told him that if he ever told anyone else what happened in the house that the police would come and take him away and put him in a bad place. And if this house wasn’t already bad, Sawamura decided he did not ever want to know what bad actually looked like. So he kept his mouth shut and he pretended to be a normal little boy. 

When he was five he was outside playing in the forest when he found a big cliff face. It was only about 15 minutes to walk there from the house. He liked to see how high he could climb it before he slipped or got scared. Once when he was climbing he fell off, not from very high but he fell right on to a small bush. When he looked up he saw a small hole in the wall and it looked just the right size to fit him. He climbed inside the small hole and the bush beneath it moved to cover the hole again, it was like his own little cubby hole. He looked around and decided he could probably put a small blanket in here and maybe a flashlight. It was like the other kids at school that were talking about a tree house, but he had a rock house! He slowly snuck out a few small objects he could keep in his rock house hoping nobody would notice they were gone. His rock house was his special place and he didn’t tell anyone about it. 

A few weeks later Sawamura was climbing his rock again, just to see how high he could get and he was very happy with himself that he made it very high that time. He told himself not to look down or he might get scared, he decided he had climbed far enough up and he should climb back down. He made it a couple feet lower when he heard his grandfather behind him yell his name loudly, he sounded angry and carefully he turned around to find his grandfather walking his way quickly. His face was red and he was shouting bad words at Sawamura. He tried to carefully make his way back down but he was scared of getting in trouble and moving too fast. He lost his footing and fell from the rock while still fairly high up. He landed hard on the ground, one foot underneath the rest of his body and the breath knocked hard from his lungs. His leg hurt instantly and he wanted to scream out in pain but there was no air in him to scream with. Tears sprang to his eyes and he looked up right as his grandfather reached him on the ground. The man was still yelling loudly but there was a buzzing inside Sawamura’s head and the words coming from the older man sounded like it was far away and under water. His vision was blurry and he still couldn’t take a breath. The sudden snap of his head and stinging in his cheek told him his grandfather had slapped him but suddenly everything cleared. The yelling man in front of him was clear, the breath in his lungs was finally clear and the pain radiating through his leg was more than clear. His grandfather continued yelling at him about how stupid he was and told him that if he needed to go to the hospital he would have to walk himself there before he turned around and left headed back to the house.

Years later when he thinks of the next few hours he would come to realize that he was in shock. But at the moment all Sawamura can do is stare up at the rock face and wish he had a normal family. He knew a girl from school that had broken her leg a few months ago and had to get a cast and couldn’t walk unless she had help for several weeks. He wonders if that is what happened to his leg too. Would anyone help him walk if he had a cast on his leg? After what could have been 20 minutes or two hours Sawamura became numb. The pain in his leg there but forgotten, he couldn’t just lay on the forest floor forever so he began to crawl his way back to the house. He could only make it a few hundred feet at a time before the dull pain came back and he had to rest his body for several minutes before moving again. By the time he made it back to his house the sun had long set and both his parents were home. He made it all the way to the front steps before he collapsed for good. There was no way he could make it up the three steps it took to make it to the porch and front door. The pain had wiped all of the energy right out of him and he rested his head on the bottom step. Sleep took him all too fast. 

Sawamura woke up as the sun was beginning to peak above the trees to a kick in the gut. He looked up to see his mother hovering above him. She didn’t say anything but squatted down to slip one of Sawamura’s arms over her shoulder and she helped him to her car. The drive was absolutely silent. He hoped she was taking him to a hospital but honestly couldn’t believe she was doing anything for him that she didn’t have to. His mother was not the most kind woman and there was a small part of his mind that was afraid she would take him somewhere bad. Much to his relief several minutes later the car had pulled up in front of the doors to the hospital and he felt a weight lift off him as they walked into the emergency room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your kudos and comments mean so much to me. Seriously. Thank you.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just --   
> I am so sorry. Trust me this hurts me just as much as it hurts you.

Several hours, two x-rays, several doctors and nurses, and one argument between the doctor and his mother later, Sawamura was in a heavy cast from his waist to his toes. According to the doctor his leg was broken in two different places and he would need to stay off his feet for a week. After that he would have to be on crutches for another six weeks and they might even have to put on a smaller cast or a boot after that was up. Seven weeks at least and he would not be able to properly move around at all. He will have a hard time even getting out of his bed with this cast the way it is. Will anyone help him? How will he shower or go to the bathroom? Suddenly the room began to swim in his vision, tears blurring the world around him. Sawamura was scared, terrified actually. His skin was suddenly clammy and felt too tight on his skeleton. He felt like he was both too hot and freezing cold and his body began to tremble. The doctor and his mother were both speaking - to him or to each other he couldn’t tell - but voices felt so far away and he felt like he needed to take a nap. He takes several very deep breaths to keep his fear buried down deep so the doctors don’t ask too many questions. Mom says that doctors are like cops and if you say too much they can take you away too. 

Several hours later he is being wheeled to his mom’s car in a wheelchair and the nurse helps him into the seat before his mom takes off for home. Once again the ride is silent. The fear he was able to control in the hospital is brought screaming back to the front of his thoughts as they pull up to his home. His mother hands him his crutches as he attempts to stand up from the car but his body is small and his cast feels like it weighs almost as much as he does. 

The front door opens to reveal his father’s shadow looming in the doorway from the afternoon sun. His mother mutters something about pain medicine before she closes the car door and takes off again. His father stands menacingly in the doorway watching him struggle up the driveway and to the porch steps. He doesn’t dare ask for help from the man. After thinking about it for a few minutes he decides it best to sit his butt on the bottom stair and slowly slide his way up the steps backwards. It takes him several long minutes but he makes his way into the house only to find his grandfather and his dad sitting on the living room couch watching a baseball game. Sawamura doesn’t dare say a word or make any loud noises as he shuffles and struggles to his feet and tries to use the crutches to make it to his room as quickly and quietly as possible so he doesn’t draw attention to himself. 

Finally he makes it to his room. Sawamura closes the door behind him, wishing he could lock his door, but when he tried to lock his grandfather out a few months ago the door handle was taken off completely. He makes his way to his bed and instantly falls asleep. Not surprisingly he did not sleep so well last night. 

When his eyes open again it is fully dark outside, the moon hanging high above the trees and casting an eerie glow through his sparse bedroom. He tries to sit up and it is only when a searing pain lances through his leg that he is hit with the flood of memories from the last day and a half. He lays his body down again wishing the pain in his leg would subside so he could get more rest but the throb is constant and he feels a few tears fall silently from his eyes while he breathes deeply trying to fight back the pain. Several long minutes later his pain dulls enough for another feeling to start tingling through his body. He needs to go to the bathroom. Judging by the amount of moonlight slipping through the window he would guess it is somewhere close to midnight. If he tries to hobble on his crutches to the bathroom he risks making noise and waking the rest of the house, which is not something that he wants to do. But he is also well aware that peeing in his bed would be significantly worse for a lot of reasons. After a few minutes of weighing his options he decides to risk his luck going to the bathroom. He made it past his father and grandfather in the living room this afternoon without disturbing them watching TV so hopefully he can make it to the bathroom the same way. 

Sawamura mentally prepares himself for the inevitable pain that will happen when he sits up and gets out of bed. A few deep breaths and he lifts himself into an upright position in the bed. The pain is there but it isn’t as bad as he had anticipated. He grits his teeth and uses all the strength he has to swing his legs off the bed and sets his good leg on the floor first while grabbing his crutches and puts his weight on the crutches and good leg to propel himself from the bed to his feet. The pain once he is standing is deep and blinding. He closes his eyes and grinds his teeth while taking big breaths to keep his tears at bay. Once the world has righted itself as much as he thinks it will he moves towards the door as silently as he can manage with the clunky crutches under his arms. Once he is at the door he cracks it open just slightly and listens closely to see if anyone in his house is awake. He hears nothing but the TV droning on in the living room and hopes that sound will drown out the sound of his crutches. Carefully he makes his way to the bathroom and is more than relieved when he makes it into the room and closes the door behind him without disturbing anyone. It takes him quite a while in the bathroom to do his business and brush his teeth but right as he is about to open the door to make his way back to his own room he hears the sound of a car driving up outside. 

It is with his heart in his stomach that Sawamura recognizes the sound of that car. Not a car, a truck. A truck with tires that were way too big and a stereo that was always playing much too loud. The truck itself was a problem, but the real problem for Sawamura was the person that drove that truck. Kenji Kondo was his father’s friend and the subject of the majority of Sawamura’s nightmares for as long as he can remember. Kenji always smelled like he hadn’t bathed in several weeks and he always brought mom more of her powdered candy, he also always liked to watch Sawamura when he did anything. If he was playing or doing school work or bathing or sleeping, he could always feel when Kenji had his eyes on him. It made him feel sticky and gross just to have his eyes on him. But it was always much worse when he would touch him. The older man would always have his arm around Sawamura or be playing with his hair or caressing his cheek. But the one time he made Sawamura feel especially icky was the time when he was swimming in the river and Kenji made him take off his swimsuit - 

The sound of the front door slamming shut snapped Sawamura from his thoughts quickly as he realized that meant at least someone in his house was awake. As much as he wished he could lock the bathroom door and hide out here until he heard that horrible truck drive away he knew that would never work. This was the only bathroom in the house after all. Maybe if he hurried he could make it back to his bed and pretend to be asleep before anyone else noticed he was awake and up moving. Gritting his teeth and moving the crutches under his arms again he opened the door just a crack to peek out and see if anyone was around. He could hear the TV still on in the living room but he also heard their voices. His father was speaking with Kenji in the living room. If he hurried and was quiet he should be able to make it to his room without anyone noticing him. 

He was wrong. 

When Sawamura stepped outside of the bathroom his mother was leaning against the wall seemingly waiting for him to come out. She startled him so suddenly that he slammed his casted foot straight to the floor to regain his balance and pain rocketed through him so strongly he felt bile rising in his throat instantly. To keep him from shouting out loud she slammed her hand over his mouth to muffle his sounds, her head quickly whipping toward the living room to make sure Kenji and his father hadn’t heard the muffled scream of pain. 

“Shh. I’m sorry I scared you.” She is whispering. His mother hands him a glass of water and two large pills. “Take these for the pain, then go back to your room and go to sleep.” Sawamura looks at the pills questioningly. “Listen to me. Take those and go to sleep and promise me that no matter what happens you will not open your eyes or move from your bed. I don’t care what you hear or what you feel. Just close your eyes and go to sleep, ok?” The seriousness in her tone was frightening to Sawamura. Not to mention this conversation was the most his mother had spoken to him at one time in months. He nods and struggles to swallow the pills in his hands, nearly choking before being able to swallow them down. 

“Will these not make my leg hurt as much?” He asked his mother quietly as she began to usher him back to his room as quietly as she could. 

“The pills will help with…” she paused and looked toward the living room. “They’ll make sure everything hurts less. Just remember what I told you, keep your eyes shut and stay quietly in bed no matter what happens.” 

“Yes mother.” Quietly still she shuts his bedroom door and Sawamura is left quite confused by the interaction. He makes his way through the small room and gets himself back into bed quickly and quietly as he hears the conversation in the living room grow increasingly louder.

The voices outside not only get louder but they also seem to be getting angrier, meaner. He can tell it is Kenji who is getting mad, his voice is typically very low and he speaks slowly and his voice is deep like a man much older than a man his age. However, now his voice is loud and speaks quickly and harshly. Sawamura tries desperately to make out what it is they are talking about in the living room but many things are muffled by the door. He hears a lot of talk about money and about eight balls. But they don’t have a pool table? More talking about money he thinks. Then he hears his own name and his blood runs cold and a feeling of dread he can’t quite comprehend overtakes him suddenly. 

It doesn’t take long at all for the effects of the medicine to dull all the pain in his leg. Soon not only is his leg no longer in pain but his whole body feels very light and fuzzy. He can barely make out any individual voices anymore but he knows he can hear his mother yelling. He can’t make out what she is saying but she doesn’t sound mad, she sounds scared and for some reason that makes him want to cry. Slowly the voices and sounds fade in his mind and the floating fuzzy feeling makes him feel like he is somewhere between falling asleep and waking up. The feeling is a little scary. He can feel his whole body but he can’t actually move it. Nothing hurts at all, in fact he can’t feel much of anything. Sawamura can’t be sure how long he laid there like that but he is pulled from his thoughts again when the sound of the voices picked up in his ear again, they still sounded angry but they were much closer this time. Even through the fuzz in his head he could clearly hear them speaking, although he couldn’t quite put together what the words actually meant. 

“You don’t wanna do that do you? Why mess with him when I am right here?” His mother. She sounded like she was right outside the door.

“I gave you what you want now you’re going to give me what I want!” That was absolutely Kenji’s voice. 

His father spoke next. “Just move out of the way, it isn’t like this wasn’t what was always going to happen.”

“He is too small plus with his leg in the cast you won’t even have the satisfaction of someone fighting back. I already told you that you could have me!” His mother sounded about as terrified as he felt but he did what she had told him and kept his eyes closed and didn’t move in the bed.

“We had a DEAL! Now move you stupid bitch.” There is a sound of skin slapping skin and a short scream before the resounding thud of someone hitting the floor. Sawamura willed the tears not to fall when he felt the stinging behind his eyes. 

His bedroom door slammed open violently and it took all of his willpower to keep his eyes closed. Just pretend to be asleep and they’ll leave. He felt the bed dip under the weight of a body sitting down but he kept his eyes closed and willed his breathing to remain even. Suddenly there is a rotten smell washing over him and a voice way too close to his ear. He can actually feel his breath on him when Kenji speaks low and slow in his ear. 

“Wakey wakey my little Daichi.” His stomach rolls at the sound and he prays for his body to remain still. Not that he would be able to move much with his body still feeling like it’s floating. He doesn’t open his eyes or move in the least. There is a commotion near his door but the sound is downed out when Kenji speaks in his ear again. “I know you can hear me you little bitch. You don’t wanna talk to me that’s just fine. I don’t need you to respond for any of the things I have in mind. You and I are going to have some fun. See you need help getting around with your leg all smashed up and your parents just so happen to be taking a little trip this week. Don’t you worry about a thing. Uncle Kenji is going to take good care of you.” Kenji’s hand trails from Sawamura’s knee up to his neck before suddenly the hand on his neck is increasing pressure and making it hard for him to breathe. He begins to cough and choke for several seconds before the hand moves south to rest high up on his thigh. “Sleep tight my little one…” Kenji’s body leaves the bed and Sawamura waits until he hears the door close behind him before he allows the tears building up behind his eyes to fall. He cries until the fuzzy feeling in his head finally takes control and he drifts to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love this story but there is so much angst and pain to get through before we get to the fluffy happy parts. Just hold tight and I promise it will be worth it.
> 
> Chronologically the events of chapter 2, 3 and the beginning of 4 take place before chapter 1! It'll all make sense I promise. 
> 
> Hopefully ill be back with a new update soon guys. Your Kudos and Comments seriously mean the world to me.  
> I also don't have a beta reader so if you catch any big mistakes please let me know so I can edit them. :) 
> 
> THANK YOU!


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a filler chapter, but ultimately still necessary.

The next time Sawamura opens his eyes the sun has replaced the moon and is shining brightly despite the instant inner turmoil his recollection of last night’s events brings. His leg still throbs and he really needs to go to the bathroom but moving a muscle seems like the most daunting task he has ever even thought about. Pushing last night's events as far from his mind as possible for the moment, Sawamura gently pushes himself into a seated position and - as he was expecting - the pain radiates through his entire leg and abdomen like he had been hit by a truck. Or fallen off a cliff… He really needed to get up. Something inside him telling him that he needs to move. The floating and fuzzy feeling inside him from last night was gone and all the pain was back in full force. At least he had the opportunity to get a full night's sleep. 

Slowly he reaches for his crutches and gets himself out of the bed, walking toward the door and cracking it open just a small amount to listen for any signs of people moving around the house. He heard nothing for the time being and he braved the walk to the bathroom. Doing his businesses he decides on what to do next. He would normally go to his happy place in the woods, retreat to his rock house with a book and escape the world for a little bit but with his crutches it would be hard and probably dangerous to try to make that trek. His stomach rumbled loudly making his decision for him. He musters the courage to make his way to the kitchen to scrounge for something to eat. When he emerges from the bathroom he heads toward the kitchen and finds my mother standing at the sink with a glass in her hand, her hands and her shoulders shaking. He pauses to watch the scene in front of him unfold but it seems the sound of his crutches alerted her to his presence and she turns around suddenly. He can see the tears in her eyes but stays quiet. 

“Daichi.” Her voice is barely audible but he can still hear the break as she says his name. She looks around the room quickly. Her eyes darting back and forth before settling on him once again. “Take these. Hide them in your room.” She hands him a bottle of pills and he looks at them with curious eyes. “I want you to take them every night before you go to sleep. Just like last night, I want you to keep your eyes closed the whole time. No matter what happens, ok?” Her voice breaks on a sob and she takes a visibly deep breath. “I have to leave. I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“Mom? What’s happening? Why are you so sad?” His mother hasn’t been what other kids say a mom is supposed to be like, but she’s still his mom. He hates to see her cry. He hates to see anyone cry, it makes him want to cry too. 

“I promise, one day, I’ll make this right. Just know how sorry I am. Do as I say, ok? Take the pills. Keep your eyes closed and stay strong.” Just then the front door slams shut and his mother jumps before turning him back towards his room. “I’ll put some food and water in your room when I can, keep it hidden and only come out of your room if you have to. I’m so sorry Daichi.” 

He makes his way back to his bedroom, still hungry and now very confused and sad. He sits on his bed gently and stares at the wall for a long moment. He can hear his parents talking in the living room but their voices are hushed and he can’t make out their words. Then he hears it, Kenji’s truck. Tears spring to his eyes immediately as the words that were whispered into his ear last night start to rattle in his head again. 

Uncle Kenji is gonna take good care of you. Uncle Kenji is gonna take good care of you.   
Uncle Kenji is gonna take good care of you.Uncle Kenji is gonna take good care of you.   
Uncle Kenji is gonna take good care of you. Uncle Kenji is gonna take good care of you. 

Sawamura is snapped out of his thoughts when his door opens slightly, his mind jumping to the worst case, thinking Kenji was entering his room. He takes an uneasy breath when he sees his mother entering the room with a cardboard box. 

“Mom?” He questioned quietly.

“Shh.” She slides the box under the bed and looks up at him from her place kneeling on the floor. “Keep it hidden, don’t make a mess, put the trash back in the box. I’m sorry this is all I can do.” She places her hand lightly on the side of his face. “I’ll make this right if it’s the last thing I do. Take the pills when you eat every night. Stay strong Daichi. I’m sorry.” She takes one more lingering look at his face before she turns to flee the room as if it were on fire. 

There is more talking in the living room but now Sawamura could hear Kenji’s voice added to the group and even his grandfather. Voices grow heated but still no words can be made out. Then he hears bags being moved around and the front door closes. He can hear a car in the front yard start up and the gravel crunching under tires as it drives away. The world seems to dim around him as he realizes with a sinking fear that he is now alone. The only other person in the house being Kenji. Before he even realizes it’s happening, he can feel the tears falling from his eyes. 

Thoughts spiral out of control in the young boys head. What will happen now? How long is his family going to be gone? What will Kenji do? Quickly, Sawamura decides that the thoughts of ‘what if’ are doing nothing but hurting him further and he reaches under his mattress to pull out one of his most prized possessions. An old copy of Curious George is pulled from the rough mattress and he opens the book, breathing in the smell of old paper and ink. He doesn’t know all of the words, but he knows the story well enough to fill in the blanks. Plus the pictures are good at telling the story as well. The silly monkey always getting up to something mischievous. He makes his way through the book three times. Sometimes making up a new story in his head to go along with the pictures in the book and sometimes imagining himself alongside George on his adventures. 

Soon the sun is high in the sky and his stomach is growling again. He slides the book underneath the bed once more. Deciding how best to get to the box of food his mother placed under his bed without hurting himself or getting himself stuck on the floor. Eventually he manages to pull the box to the side and reaches inside to find, well, not much. There are several bottles of water as well as a box of cereal, several snack bars, trail mix, and some of those little packages of tuna and chicken as well as one fork. He pulls out a snack bar and finishes it quickly. Just as his mom told him, he didn’t make a mess and put the trash back in the box. He took one of the water bottles and drank from that before closing the lid and putting that back in the box as well before pushing the box back under the bed and hopefully out of sight. 

With nothing else to do Sawamura decided to lay back down in the bed and hope for a nap. That afternoon with the sun warming his face he fell asleep to the sound of the TV in the living room and a terrifying voice in his head. Uncle Kenji is gonna take good care of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry its been so long since I updated this fic. I want to assure everyone that I will not be abandoning it. Things have just been kind of crazy the last month or so. 
> 
> This fic kind of has a mind of its own and its taking much longer to get to the linear part of the story than I planned. One or two more chapters of heavy painful stuff and then things will start to get lighter. 
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me! See you in the next update! As always your kudos and comments give me LIFE. So thank you for your support.


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is hard to read, it was hard to write. I wasn't kidding when I said this story was getting away from me. It kinda has a mind of its own at this point. 
> 
> MAJOR trigger warning. It isn't super graphic but if you've read the rest of the story, you know what is coming. Please don't read something that will hurt your mental health.

The sun is slowly slipping behind the trees when Sawamura is woken up by a knock on his door. Unthinking he sits up in bed and the pain once again shoots through his body. As he looks up he sees Kenji walk into his room and suddenly any warmth left from the sun’s rays is sapped out of the room. Leaving a slight chill to travel down his spine. 

“Well good morning my little Daichi. So glad you could join me. I made some dinner. Come eat with me.” Sawamura cringed at hearing his name from Kenji’s voice, dripping with venom. 

“Um… U-uh, I’m not very hungry. I t-think I’ll just s-stay here.” He could feel his whole body trembling with nervous energy. Nothing good would come from him eating dinner with Kenji.

Kenji’s laugh fills the cold space as he looks Sawamura dead in the eyes. “It is really adorable how you thought that was a request. I said come eat with me. You’ll hurt my feelings if you don’t. I made a special dinner just for us.” He comes further into the room and closer to Sawamura. Frozen to the spot he doesn’t dare even breathe. “Five minutes. Or else.” Kenji then turns and leaves the room. 

Scared of what ‘or else’ could possibly mean he carefully sits himself up in his bed and reaches for his crutches. He is still in the same clothes he had been in when he fell and the dirt and sweat that was crusted to it was starting to sour his stomach. But with no way to change his clothes alone in under five minutes he decided to leave it for now and made his way out to the kitchen. At the small kitchen table there were two plates set out with food on them. Admittedly, Sawamura was starving. As much as he didn’t want to eat the food Kenji prepared he knew somewhere in the back of his mind that he couldn’t live off the contents of his hidden box alone and the meal did not look all that bad. In fact it was hard for him to remember the last time anyone had actually cooked him a meal.

When Kenji heard the crutches coming toward the kitchen he looked up at Sawamura with a disgusting smile full of yellow teeth. “I’m so happy you decided to join me, boy. You will be happy you did.” 

The double meaning behind the sentence wasn’t lost on the young boy. Trauma had a way of maturing your mind much faster than others his age. He has been told multiple times that he was much more mature than his few years of life would suggest. 

“Thank you for the food.” He whispers quietly as he sat down at the other set place at the table, right next to Kenji. 

“Eat up. A growing young boy like you needs to eat healthy so you can get big and strong.” Daichi could feel the others eyes leering at him as he nodded his head and reached for the plate of meat and potatoes. 

Begrudgingly he ate the food. To anyone else it would look like a normal dinner, but the conversation was heavily one sided with Kenji mostly asking strange questions about how much he weighed and how tall he was. Whether he had friends at school, if he liked anyone in his class. Daichi answered in as few words as possible and felt uneasy the entire time. Dinner did not last very long thankfully and when they were finished, Kenji took the dishes to the sink. 

Unsure of what to do next, Sawamura sat at the table unmoving. Still uncomfortable in his clothes and wanting badly to take a shower but he didn’t know how he was going to do that with the cast. He sat there for what felt like ages, but was probably only a few minutes before Kenji came back toward the table. Immediately, Daichi did not like the look he had in his eyes. It was different from how he looked while they were eating dinner. 

“I bet you feel rather gross at this point, eh? Why don’t we get you a bath? I’ll help you.” 

“Oh. U-um. No thank you. I’m actually feeling fine-” Kenji cut him off before he could continue.

“Oh, well once again, I wasn’t asking. Come on now.” He said nothing more as he moved toward the bathroom, presumably expecting Sawamura to follow him. After several seconds Sawamura still hadn’t gotten off his chair as his mind swirled with emotions he didn’t even fully have names for. Suddenly Kenji stopped and turned around, leveling Daichi with a menacing glare. “I said come one. Don’t make me say it again.”

“Y-yes uncle Kenji.” Propelled by fear, Daichi stood clumsily and followed after Kenji slowly on his crutches. His breathing was labored and shallow as he made his way to the bathroom. He did not want any help getting clean. He would stay in the same clothes all week, all month if it meant he didn’t have to take a bath or a shower with Kenji around. He reached the bathroom door as Kenji was fiddling with the taps to get the temperature right before he pulled the lever to make the shower come on. 

“I’ll be right back. Go to the bathroom if you need to. But don’t you dare lock this door.” Kenji said as he turned out of the bathroom and back toward the kitchen. Sawamura stood there dumbfounded and unsure of what to do next. Since he was here he did use the bathroom quickly and washed his hands before Kenji came back into the door frame. Kenji was holding up a trash bag and duct tape. “Can’t have your cast getting all wet now can we? Take off your clothes so we can wrap that up properly.”

“No. No, I don’t really need t-to shower. I feel fine. R-really. I was just going to go to s-sleep.” Sawamura could feel his stutter getting progressively worse and feared he would be able to speak without it soon. He was frozen and terrified. All he knew was that he did not want to take off his clothes in front of Kenji. His only coherent thought was of the bottle of pills hidden in his room and hoping he could do like his mom told him and take it since he had eaten dinner already. His brain was so caught up in scary thoughts that the floaty feeling from last night was all he craved. 

“It is starting to get really annoying that you think the things I tell you are optional. If I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it. Do you understand my little Daichi? If I tell you something there is to be no hesitation. No talking back. You WILL do as you are told.” His voice was cold and vicious. “I don’t think you want to see what happens if you tell me no, kid. So be my good little boy and get undressed.” 

Tears began to leak from Daichi’s eyes but slowly did as he was told. He felt more disgusting than he had covered in grime and days old clothes. “S-s-sorry.” He timidly whispered hoping to placate the older male. Kenji said nothing, simply staring as Sawamura’s clothes hit the cold tile floor. Kenji then leaned down with the trash bag and slipped it over the cast on Daichi’s leg and used the duct tape to wrap around the top of the bag. 

“Can’t have that cast wet. That wouldn’t be good now, right?”

“R-r-right.”

“Oh don’t be so scared of me little Daichi. I’m just helping you to get clean. Now hop on in the shower, carefully.” Without a word, Daichi did as he was told. He carefully stepped into the shower and was surprisingly relieved when he was alone behind the curtain, allowing the warm water to cascade over his body. There were several minutes that he was left alone in the shower with his thoughts before the curtain pulled back to reveal Kenji. “Let me help you.” He said simply. Daichi wanted to protest but was afraid of what would happen if he said anything so he just looked down at the floor and tried to keep himself from crying. 

The shower took far too long, the water beginning to turn cold by the end but Daichi felt so numb he couldn’t even feel the temperature of the water. He no longer had any idea of the time that it took before Kenji reached behind him to turn the water off and wrap a towel around him. He couldn’t feel the tears tracking down his cheeks. He could feel nothing but disgust. Dirty. Sick. He stood motionless until Kenji helped him out of the shower and pulled the towel aside to take the tape and the bag off of Daichi’s casted leg. Tears were still falling when his crutches were handed to him. 

“Go ahead and go to your room and get dressed for bed Daichi. You were a good boy tonight. Get some sleep.” With that Kenji walked toward the other end of the house and Daichi was left standing frozen in the still foggy bathroom. 

Somehow Sawamura ended up back in his bedroom and managed to pull on underwear and a t-shirt before his mind seemed to snap back to reality. He laid himself in the bed feeling even more dirty than he had felt before the shower. Then he remembered what his mom told him and fished the bottle of pills out from its hiding spot and grabbed a bottle of water from under the bed. He took his pill and prayed the floaty feeling and warmth of sleep would take him soon. That night, Daichi fell asleep to muttered commands still floating through his head. 

Touch that. Lick here. Stay still kid. Open your mouth, my little Daichi. Uncle Kenji will take good care of you. 

Morning dawned and Sawamura was woken to the sound of pots and pans from the kitchen. He wanted to feel numb like he had last night but instead felt nothing but pain. Pain in his leg under his cast. Pain in his heart. Pain in his head. Pain in his stomach. Pain in his jaw. He didn’t know his whole being could hurt so badly. 

Kenji came in and demanded his presence at the table once again for breakfast.Daichi pulled on a loose pair of shorts that would fit over his cast and joined Kenji at the table. The conversation was minimal and after they ate, Kenji told Sawamura to go wash all the dishes from breakfast and dinner last night. He nodded and did as he was told silently. It was hard standing on one leg for that long but he did not dare to say anything. 

After he did the dishes he went back to his room, soon hearing Kenji’s truck outside start up and pull away. Finally alone, Sawamura curls as small as his body would allow and cries until sleep takes him once again. By the time the sound of Kenji’s truck returning jostles him from his sleep the sun is hanging low in the sky. It is well after dark before the man comes to his room and tells him it is time for dinner. 

Sawamura is not hungry in the least but fears what would happen if he didn’t eat what was made for him and the two eat in silence. Until the meal is over and Kenji takes their plates to the kitchen. 

“Were you good today while I was gone? What did you do all alone today? I’m sorry I had to leave you like that but there are certain things that require my attention.” His voice sounds almost conversational but somehow deep under his words, Daichi heard the venom and sickness seeping from Kenji.

“I was g-g-good. I f-fell asleep for most of t-the day.” 

“Oh! Well if you were napping all afternoon that just means you can stay up late tonight and hang out with me!” He sounded way too happy about this and Sawamura’s stomach dropped. 

“O-o-oh. Well my leg kind of hurts, I was kind of h-hoping to go back to b-bed…” He didn’t know what possessed him to speak up. He knew he shouldn’t but Daichi wanted nothing more than to simply lay back down in his bed and sleep until the week was over. 

“Boy, I said we were gonna hang out. You really think it’s a good idea to talk shit to me right now? I just made you a good meal and you think it’s ok to just leave me here and go to bed and be selfish? I don’t think so.” His voice raised an octave every sentence until he was shouting at Daichi, who simply looked down to the ground and shook his head.

“No K-kenji. We c-can hang out. I’m s-sorry I was being s-s-selfish.” Daichi was doing everything he could to keep the tears from slipping down his cheeks. He wasn’t a fan of people yelling. His grandfather would yell at him a lot and it always made him feel small and sad. 

“That’s uncle Kenji you ungrateful little shit. Go sit on the couch and I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Kenji then stalks off toward the bathroom and Daichi doesn’t hesitate to do as he is told and makes his way to the couch. It took a long few minutes before Daichi could get himself comfortable on the small couch with his cast but he managed it eventually. 

Kenji came out of the bathroom a few minutes later and met Daichi on the couch. “See it wasn’t so hard to listen now was it? How about we watch a movie? What do you say my little Daichi? What is your favorite movie?”

Daichi avoided eye contact while he thought. “I d-don’t really have one. The only times I r-really watch the TV is when dad or g-grandpa lets me and they are usually watching some kind of s-sport.”

“Well that’s pretty pathetic, kid. In that case why don’t we watch my favorite movie? Yeah. Let's do that. How do you feel about scary movies?”

“U-uh. I don’t k-know. I guess that’s f-fine.” He really did NOT want to watch a scary movie but he was too scared to speak up. 

“Perfect. I have just the perfect movie to put on.” Kenji does some scrolling on the TV before a movie starts. At this point Kenji has sat on the couch, too close for Daichi to actually be comfortable. His arm is slung on the back of the couch and very close to Daichi’s shoulder and head. “If you get too scared just snuggle up to Uncle Kenji.” Daichi says nothing but nods his head to confirm he heard him. 

The movie starts with a girl at home and she gets a phone call, the man on the phone scares her before he kills her. Daichi is scared and hides his eyes behind his hands within the first five minutes. Behind him he hears Kenji laughing at him and calling him names for being scared. Suddenly the arm Kenji had on the back of the couch moves to Daichi’s shoulder and he hauls the small boy into the side of his body. 

“I will protect you little Daichi. No need to be a little chicken shit.”

“S-s-sorry uncle Kenji.”

The movie goes on and Kenji doesn’t let go of Sawamura once. Soon the older man's hands start to roam over his body and just like the night before, Daichi’s head goes blank. He can no longer feel the moving hands or really feel anything around him. The night ended just like the one before it. Sawamura doesn’t really remember anything else of the movie once commands began being whispered in his ear and it was all he could do to keep his mind blank until Kenji had told him he was a good boy and sent him off to bed. 

Just like the night before Daichi fell asleep with his body feeling like it was floating and with a monster whispering to him in his head. 

The pattern kept up for almost a week. Daichi would be woken up and called to eat breakfast. Talk was usually minimal and then he would be told to clean the dishes. He would retreat to his room while Kenji left and when he returned he would fear the coming darkness, both outside and in his head. Sometimes he would be forced to shower. Other times they would sit on the couch and turn on a movie and one night Daichi had been sent to bed after dinner then Kenji came into his room a few hours later. Every night Sawamura would shut off his mind and try to forget then he would take his pill and go to sleep with monsters talking in his head. He didn’t feel like anything in his life was real anymore. Nothing felt like much of anything. He just felt sad.

On the sixth day Daichi went to sleep after he heard Kenji’s truck leave but when he woke up the sky was dark, the truck always woke him up when it would rumble to a stop out front of the house. Had he missed Kenji coming home? Surely he would have heard the truck. Sawamura looked out the window toward the front yard but saw no sign of the truck that haunted his dreams. Finding himself hungry he reached for the box under his bed and pulled it out to look at the contents. All that was left was one of the packs of tuna, two snack bars and one more bottle of water. The trash in the box was beginning to smell pretty bad but he was scared to move it to the big trash can in case Kenji saw it and got mad. He took out the pack of tuna and ate it quietly. 

After he ate and looked at his favorite book for a little while longer with still no sign of that awful truck or its equally awful driver, Daichi decided to let himself simply go back to sleep. 

On the seventh day when Sawamura woke up there was still no sign of the truck or its owner. He ate his snack bar for breakfast and took two of the water bottles he had to go refill them in the sink. After putting them back in the box, Daichi realized that his leg wasn’t hurting as much anymore and he was finally starting to get the hang of his crutches. Maybe by Monday he would even be able to go back to school. It would be a little hard but getting out of the house would be really amazing. With nobody around, Daichi moved about the house with a freedom he had never known before. He was confident enough on his crutches that if he heard the cursed truck rumbling up the drive he would be able to get back to his bedroom before Kenji actually made it inside. He watched TV for a little while but was afraid that if somebody did come back he wouldn’t be able to turn the TV off fast enough and get to his room in time so he mostly sat on the couch and stared out the window daydreaming. 

The day went on and soon the sun was slipping behind the trees and Sawamura’s stomach was growling. He knew all he had left in his box was one last granola bar so he went to the fridge hoping he could find something better than that. Unfortunately for him he was not able to find anything that didn’t involve actually cooking. Back to his room he slunk. He ate the last of his snack bars and curled up in bed hoping for a night of uninterrupted sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that was long but I did not wanna stretch that hurt into more than one chapter. 
> 
> Your comments and kudos keep me moving guys and its super kind that you took the time out to say something to me about my fic. These are a labor of love for me and I appreciate you all so much!
> 
> Till next time!


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are looking up people! 
> 
> -don't get used to it just yet...

Daichi wakes to the sound of the front door slamming closed and squeezes his eyes closed. His heart is gripped with fear that Kenji is finally back and Daichi has no idea what to expect after him being gone for so long. He imagines it can’t be good. He tries to keep his breathing level as he waits to see if Kenji will leave him alone or if his waking nightmares continue. 

There is a burning pain on his shoulder but the fear that grips him is stronger enough for the pain on his body to be swept away in his thoughts. 

When he hears the door to his bedroom creak open he squeezes his eyes shut and waits for the inevitable. There are light footsteps through his room and a weight is sat on the bed, lighter than the weight of Kenji and when he feels a feather light touch on his arm he turns around to look into the deep chocolate brown eyes of his mother. They both stare at each other in silence for a few moments. 

“Daichi. I’m so sorry.” The tears welling in her eyes speak for themselves and she wraps her arms around him in a tight embrace where they both weep for what feels like hours. When she finally pulls away she wipes the tears from Sawamura’s face before she wipes her own. “We need to pack you a bag, quickly.” She checks her watch and the worry spreads across her face. “Quickly.” She adds quietly, it sounds more for herself than for him. 

His mother moves around the room at a speed Daichi had never seen from the woman while he sits up slowly and moves about getting himself dressed. His whole body is sore and in pain but he says nothing as the pair move about silent in their tasks. With a backpack full of clothes she turns around to look at him. 

“Is there anything else here that is absolutely essential?” She asks him. 

“Yeah, hold on.” Without another word Sawamura reaches under his mattress and drags out his book, clutching it to his chest quickly. His mother takes the book from him and adds it to the backpack while she hands him his crutches.

“We don’t have a lot of time, this isn’t going to be fun but we have a bit of a walk, I’m sorry. Lets go.” Her face is set and determined and when Daichi looks carefully he sees that her eyes are completely clear. Usually his mothers eyes have a slightly cloudy look to them. She seems different. He nods his head, thankful that he has learned to get around better on the crutches and the pair set out. 

When they reach the front door Daichi is hit with a bright sky filled with sun and puffy white clouds. It’s in that moment he realizes he hasn’t actually been outside since he got home from the hospital. The sunlight warms his face and he almost feels it's possible to smile. His mother helps him down the steps on the front porch and they carefully walk to the end of the driveway and turn left, heading toward the main roads and town. 

The duo have been walking for nearly half an hour before Sawamura begins to slow down on his crutches. The road is full of hills and his body is exhausted. The pain in his leg and other lower areas begin to worsen and he wishes he had thought to grab the bottle of pills that remain wedged between his bed and the wall. 

His mother turns around and notices him slowing and struggling. “We're almost there, I promise. I would carry you if I could but it really isn’t much further.” He looks to his mother who is carrying his backpack, a large duffel bag slung across her body and is dragging a small rolling suitcase behind her. There’s no way she would be able to hold all of that and him as well. He tries to pick up his pace, feeling selfish for slowing her down. 

“Um, mom?” His voice is timid and barely above a whisper.

“Yeah?”

“Where are we going?” He wants to ask so many more questions but he’s honestly terrified of what the answers may be to those other questions. 

However she doesn’t reply to his inquiry right away, just keeps walking until they make it to the center of their tiny town. They walk down one of the main roads until they reach a bus stop and his mom turns back to him with a watery grimace on her face. 

“We’re getting out. I can never atone for the things that have happened but I can try to make it better.” She places her hand on his shoulder and the pressure makes him wince. He had completely forgotten the pain there earlier. At his wince his mother moves his shirt slightly to inspect the skin. 

His mother’s eyes went wide and a gasp escaped her mouth before she moved her hand to cover it. Her eyes that were glassy just moments ago were now overflowing with tears. Sawamura moved his head to try to look at what she was seeing and was surprised to see a small mark. Two large dots, one orange and one red, connected by three smaller dots and a white line right through the middle that is placed on the top of his shoulder. Sawamura cocked his head in question and looked to his mother again.

“What is that? Where did that come from? Mom?” His eyes must have shown the fear he was feeling in his heart because she gave him a sympathetic smile that was obviously forced and shook her head. 

“It isn’t going to hurt you, don’t worry, nothing bad will come from this mark. We will talk more about it later ok? The bus will be here any second.” She wasn’t lying as the bus came rounding the corner no sooner than the words had come out of her mouth. His mother breathed a sigh of deep relief as it came to a stop.

The pair climbed on board awkwardly with his crutches and the bags his mother was carrying but they had boarded and taken a seat before either of them spoke again. 

“We’re going to see an old friend of mine in Miyagi. Her and her family are going to keep us safe for a little bit. Her son is your age, so hopefully you’ll get along well. She is going to give me a job. You’re going to start a new school and we're going to be happy, ok?” She said it all in a rush like if she didn’t say it all right this second she would never get a chance to say it. I nodded my head to let her know I understood and debated on what to say next. 

“Are dad and Kenji going to be there too?” Part of him was scared to ask out of fear that the answer would be yes but he had to know. 

“If I have any say in the matter, neither of us will ever see either of those men again as long as we live.” Her voice was cold as steel but brought about a thawing in his gut he had no idea he needed. 

“What about grandpa?” 

“He can rot in hell for all I care. I’m sorry for the language Daichi, but as long as I’m here, I swear things will be different. There are things you’re too young to understand but I want you to know I’ll tell you everything when you're older and I also want you to know that if you hate me, that… Well then that’s ok because I would deserve it. But I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to apologize to you and make everything right.” To further punctuate her statement she reached over and grabbed Sawamura’s hand and holding it tightly. 

“It’s ok mom. It’ll get better now, right?” His voice was subdued but he tried to hold onto the hope she was showing him. 

“It’ll get better.”

Six hours, two busses and a long taxi ride later Sawamura and his mother pull up in front of a cozy looking house in the suburbs. The house is pleasant, painted a warm shade of white with a pretty garden in front and a few trees. The mountains in the distance make the place seem homey and comfortable. A woman with long silver hair walked out of the front door with a tense smile on her face as they were getting out of the taxi and getting their bags from the trunk. The woman wrapped his mother up in a tight hug and both women began to cry as the taxi pulled away from the curb. Daichi stood there slightly awkwardly, not knowing if he should move or say anything. After a few minutes the pair of women separated themselves and the lady with the silver hair looked at Daichi with a very warm smile. 

“You must be Daichi. I have heard so much about you. Why don’t you guys come inside and get comfortable. I’m sure you’re both starving after such a long trip.” She grabbed one of the bags that his mother was carrying and the three walked into the house. 

The inside of the home was just as cozy and warm as he had expected. The air smelled like a fresh baked pie and Daichi took a deep breath as he felt his whole body physically relax. The last time he had felt this at ease was the day he brought his favorite book and a blanket to his little hole in the rock. He glanced around the space and realized the whole main area was open and from the front door he could see the dining room, a living room and the kitchen. There was nowhere somebody could come around a corner and surprise or scare him and that eased just a bit more tension from his shoulders. 

In the living room was a large table in the middle where a little boy sat drawing. His hair silver like his mothers and a small freckle just under his eye. Sawamura had never been overly talkative and had a problem making many friends. He was afraid this boy wasn’t going to like him. The boy looked up at him shyly and when he noticed that Daichi was looking at him he quickly looked back down to what he was doing at the table. Sawamura looked around nervously and noticed his mother was no longer by his side. He panicked slightly and his eyes scanned the room before finding her coming out from a hallway with the silver haired woman and Daichi limps himself to meet the women in the kitchen. He hovers close to his mother, the only anchor he had right then to keep him from panicking. 

“Koushi. Can you come in here please?” The woman called and the boy set down his pencil before slowly making his way to the kitchen. 

“Yes mom?”

“Koushi, remember I told you I had an old friend that was going to come visit? This is her and her son. This is Kana Sawamura and her son Daichi. Can you tell them hello?” Her voice was patient and pleasant but Daichi felt himself staring at the boy. 

“Hello.” The word was uttered nervously and quietly. It was then that Daichi noticed that the boy hadn’t taken his eyes off his cast since he walked into the kitchen. Finally his eyes moved up and they locked with his own. The boy tried to smile but it looked sad. “Do you want to come draw with me?” He asked hesitantly.

“Can I?” Daichi asked, looking toward his mother. He didn’t know if he felt comfortable being too far from her yet. 

“Of course you can. Risa and I will be right here in the kitchen if you need anything, ok?” Daichi nodded and looked back to the boy.

“I’d like that. Thank you.” Both boys made their way back to the large table in the living room and Koushi put a pillow from the couch onto the floor before Daichi awkwardly maneuvered himself to sit on the pillow. It was still hard to get comfortable with the cast but after a few minutes of shuffling he finally found a comfortable position on the floor and smiled at the boy. He was also relieved to realize that he had a perfect view of his mother and her friend from where he was sitting. 

“I was practicing my writing. Do you want to practice too?” 

“Oh. No that’s ok. I can just watch you. I’m not very good at writing.” A blush crept up Daichi’s cheeks in embarrassment. 

“Well you’ll never get better at something if you don’t practice at it.” The boy rolled his eyes slightly then pushed a piece of paper and a pencil in front of Sawamura. “You can call me Suga by the way. My parents are really the only people that call me Koushi. What do you prefer to be called? First name or last name?” Daichi was slightly taken aback. He had never been asked that question before. Sawamura made him think of his dad, and thinking of his dad made him think of Kenji. A slight shiver ran down his spine and he replied quickly.

“Daichi is ok. Or Dai I guess.” He picked up the pencil and practiced writing his name. 

The boys could hear their mothers talking in the kitchen but couldn't make out anything specifically what they were saying. They were quiet while they practiced their writing. Well, Suga practiced his writing. Daichi had tried but after a short while he began to simply draw on the paper. He drew a moon and stars with trees beneath them. Eventually Suga broke the silence between them. 

“Does it hurt?” When Daichi looked at him questioningly he went on. “Your leg. Does it hurt? I’ve never broken a bone before. I bet it hurts a lot.”

“Oh. It doesn’t hurt so bad anymore unless I’m walking or standing on it for a long time. It hurt really bad when I did it though. And sometimes in the mornings it's really stiff and hurts for a little bit.”

“What did you do to hurt it?” Daichi knew that Suga didn’t mean anything by the question, but he felt very uncomfortable immediately and didn’t want to talk about it anymore. But now answering would be rude.

“Oh. I uh.. I fell off a big cliff to the ground.” Daichi had put down his pencil and put his hands in his lap to play with his own fingers as a distraction. 

Thankfully before he could become too wrapped up in his own thoughts Suga changed the subject and the boys began to talk about anything that they could think of. They talked about what they liked about school and about different books they liked. The found that they both loved to play outside and Suga promised to show Daichi his favorite park when his leg was all healed. Over the course of the afternoon and early evening the pair became quite close. Daichi’s heart was happy because he had made his first real friend. As the sun began to slip through the sky their mothers called them to the kitchen for dinner and then the pair went back to the living room to watch TV for a while. Suga had asked what Daichi’s favorite show was but since he had never really spent much time watching TV before he told Suga to just pick his favorite instead.

It was dark outside and the boys were still watching TV and talking when the front door opened and slammed shut quickly and loudly. The sound of the slamming door caused Daichi to jump violently. Suga gave him a weary look and then there was a mans voice yelling. Daichi had no idea what the voice said but he immediately shrunk in his seat to make himself as small as possible. He didn’t even realize that he had hidden himself behind Suga’s back. There was a little more yelling and then everything was quiet. Suddenly there was a warm hand on his cheek wiping away tears he didn’t realize he had let escape and he looked up into Suga’s warm chocolate brown eyes. 

“Can I hug you?” Suga’s request caught him by surprise. The yelling had scared him so badly, his mind had immediately transported him from the plush couch to the cold bathroom floor of his home and Kenji hovering above him screaming at him. Or his father yelling at him when he made too much noise while his show was on. He then felt the couch beneath him once again and breathed in the smell of the cozy house, grounding himself. He nodded his head finally and Suga wrapped his arms around Daichi’s middle section squeezing him tight and resting Daichi’s head against Suga’s shoulder. “It was just my dad coming home from work. He always yells when he walks in the door to let us know he’s home. I’m sorry he scared you. Are you ok?” 

“Thank you.” Was all Sawamura could squeak out as he held tight to his new friend. After a few seconds Suga pulled away and Daichi was able to see around him for the first time since he got scared. Both mothers were standing in the living room with misty eyes and a tall man with brown hair stood next to Risa. The man walked toward the boys slowly before kneeling before the couch so he was eye level with Daichi and Suga. 

“Hello Daichi. My name is Hayato. I’m Koushi’s father.” His voice is low and deep and he slowly reaches his hand out toward Daichi. Daichi flinched and moved closer to Suga on the couch. Hayato clearly got the hint and moved his hand back to rest at his side. “I am really sorry that I scared you Daichi. I promise I didn’t mean to. I yell to Kou and his mom when I get home every night so they can hear me no matter where they are in the house. I won’t do it again while you and your mom are here, ok? Can you forgive me for scaring you?”

“It’s ok. It’s your house.” Daichi looked down at his hands and refused to lift his eyes to meet the mans. He was embarrassed and scared. His mind kept trying to tell him to be scared of this man because he was big like his dad and like Kenji but Hayato’s voice was so even and deep he felt like he needed to be the one apologizing for making a big deal out of the situation. 

“It’s your house too, at least for now. None of us would want to make you uncomfortable or sad, so while you and your mom are staying with us I will try my best to not yell. How about that?”

“Yes sir.” Daichi’s response was skittish and automatic and he noticed out of the corner of his averted eyes that the man seemed to look more sad at his response. Hayato turned his head around to look toward Kana and Daichi’s eyes followed to his mother. She was crying now and holding onto Risa tightly muttering something nobody but her and Risa could hear. Hayato’s eyes then came back to Daichi before he quickly looked away again. 

“Now now. None of that, so formal. I’m much too young to be called sir. Why not just call me Hayato? Does that work ok for you?” Daichi nodded his head and Hayato smiled before backing away toward his wife and Kana. 

“Are you okay?” Daichi’s head shot to his side where Suga was still sitting close to him on the couch. 

“I’m okay. I’m sorry.” His eyes were trained on his hands on his own lap. 

“You don’t have to say sorry for being scared. Why would you say sorry for that?” 

Before Sawamura could reply his mother was sitting down next to them on the couch carefully and Risa sat down on Suga’s other side. 

“Boys its nearly bed time, Koushi why don’t you go brush your teeth and I’ll be up in a second.” Risa said looking down at Suga. Suga hesitated for a second, looking between his mother and Daichi. Eventually he nodded and with a sad look back at Daichi he made his way toward the stairs. 

Daichi’s mother reached out and held his hand. “Dai, I am going to ask you a question and I want you to answer me honestly, yeah?” Daichi nodded and his mother continued. “We will be staying here for a few weeks so it’s ok if you change your mind later but for tonight where would you like to sleep? We can put an extra futon in the room with Koushi or you can sleep in the other room with me. Where would you feel more safe?” 

Safe? Daichi thought hard about that. When was the last time that he had actually felt safe? If you had asked him yesterday he would have said that he last felt safe while hiding in his little rock house in the cliff. But now he could honestly say that the last time he had felt safe was when he opened his eyes to warm brown ones staring at him and a warm hand wiping away his tears. 

“If he’s okay with it I would like to stay with Suga, please.” 

Risa’s eyes lit up. “I’m sure he will be more than excited to share his room with you. It’ll be like a slumber party. I’ll go get the futon set up, why don’t you head upstairs and get ready for bed too?” Daichi nodded and turned back to his mother.

“Is that ok mom? Did you want me to sleep with you instead?” Her eyes were still slightly red rimmed from her earlier tears. 

“No. No Diachi. I want you to go wherever you are comfortable. If you’re more comfortable with Koushi then that's where I want you to be. It's been a rough week, I know that. But like I said earlier, things will get better now, right? We're both safe now. We have a lot we need to talk about and we will. But for tonight I want you to get a good night sleep. I know I don’t say this much but I’m going to be better about it from now on. I love you Daichi. I love you so much.” She wiped away another stray tear then wrapped me up in a hug. “Now lets get you ready for bed, yeah?” She helped Daichi to the stairs with his bag and Daichi awkwardly sat on the bottom step to scooch up the stairs one by one. 

Slowly but surely Daichi got himself ready for bed then followed Risa into Suga’s room. She kissed Suga on the forehead and told the boys not to stay up late then left the room. 

“Is this okay? I don’t want to bug you if you’d rather sleep alone. It probably sucks to have a stranger stuck in here with you.” Daichi felt self conscious standing in the middle of the room on his crutches. 

“No! It’s fine, really. I’ve never had a sleepover before so it’s kind of cool. I’m not really very tired yet though. Do you wanna lay in my bed and we can look at books together until we're sleepy?” Daichi nodded his head and smiled weakly before making his way to Suga’s bed. The pair laid there for a while looking at pictures in his books and pointing out the words they knew how to read. It wasn’t even an hour later when Risa and Kana came to check up on them that they found the pair both sound asleep in Suga’s bed with their heads close together on a shared pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm super sorry its been so long since I updated. I promise to try to get better about posting more consistently but in the meantime I hope you liked this chapter. By the end of next chapter we will be caught up to the end of chapter one and chapter 8 we will FINALLY be seeing Kuroo again. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and I'd love love LOVE to hear your feedback in the comments. Do you love it? Hate it? Anything I need to work on?


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know how many times I've lied to you guys but this chapter was getting way too long to make it just one, so there will be one more chapter until we catch up to Kuroo. 
> 
> There is a little POV switch toward the end where we get to see Suga's side of things before next chapter jumps back to Daichi. 
> 
> ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY KUROO

From the very first night Daichi and his mother had come to the Sugawara’s home, Daichi and Suga were inseparable. They slept together every night after they had moved there. Suga helped Daichi get settled in school and fulfilled his promise to take Daichi to his favorite park after his cast came off. About three months after they came to Miyagi, Daichi and his mom moved out of the Sugawara household and moved into a small apartment over the shop that his mom was working at, the shop was owned by Suga’s grandmother and the woman was always very sweet to Daichi and his mother. 

Even after they had moved out of the Sugawara’s the best friends were inseparable. Suga helped Daichi catch up in school since he had missed so much and had to move. They were in the same class and they walked home together every day, only separating at the park that was roughly in the middle of Suga’s house and the apartment. They spent whole weekends together playing at the park or drawing in someone’s living room. It was at the park one sunny fall afternoon that the pair spotted some older kids playing volleyball and both of them were immediately drawn to the sport. Suga had even saved up a month of allowance to buy Daichi a volleyball for his birthday that winter. It was the nicest present he had ever received and Daichi couldn’t help the tears that escaped his eyes at the thoughtful gift from his best friend. 

Since escaping his old house things for Daichi had definitely gotten better, but the remnants of his time with Kenji and the years of being abused by his father and grandfather were still there in his head. It wasn’t a rare occasion for Daichi to fall into a panic attack. Daichi was terrified of large men, even if he knew them and knew they wouldn’t hurt him, like Hayato or even the principal at his school. If someone was yelling at him, or even too close to him, he would start to lose his breath and his heart would race. Sometimes even getting into the bath or the shower was hard because it brought back terrifying memories. If someone snuck up on him, or grabbed him when he wasn’t expecting it, he would drop to his knees and cower into his hands. Every time he came out of an attack his face would redden in embarrassment. But almost every time that would happen, Suga would be there with his warm brown eyes and his sweet voice asking Daichi if he could hug him. 

After watching her son suffer for so long his mom got him a psychiatrist and a therapist. It took several sessions before Daichi felt comfortable with the woman. Dr. Dawn was an older woman with greying hair that was always held up in a tight bun and always had a snack to offer Daichi when they met. Her questions were always phrased very sweetly even though the things she was asking about made Sawamura’s skin crawl with memories and monsters whispering in his ear. By the spring of the following year Daichi was on medicine that made his panic attacks lessen a little easier to manage. Sometimes he could go several days or even a week without remembering Kenji’s voice in his ear or his dad and grandfather’s screams. 

It was about a year after they left his old house that his mother finally sat down with Daichi to explain to him the mark on his arm. He had been pestering her for months to explain what it was, but all she ever told him was to keep it hidden and keep it secret and she would explain it to him when she thought he was ready. Now that his panic attack and anxiety were under control she decided he was ready for the truth about the mark on his arm. 

“Daich, have you ever had a dream that you didn’t think was your own?” His mothers voice was shaky and Daichi had to think hard about his answer. He didn’t dream very often - or at least didn’t remember them - but when he did they were always nightmares.

“I don’t think so…” 

“Dai, have you ever heard of a soulmate?” Daichi shook his head no and his mother went on. “A soulmate is someone who you are destined to spend your life with. Someone that is supposed to love you unconditionally and you are to love them in return. The fates decided that this person is supposed to be special to you, you balance each other out and they are supposed to make your life better every day. Whether you choose to love them romantically, like Risa and Hayato, or if you love them as your best friend, like you and Suga, your soulmate was given to you because they are supposed to be exactly who you need in your life.” There were tears in his mothers eyes but she didn’t let them fall. “Honey that mark on your shoulder is called a soul mark. They are unique to every pairing, or sometimes you can even have more than one soulmate, but your soulmate or soulmates will always have the same exact mark on their body in the same spot as yours.” Daichi took all of the information in quietly for a few minutes.

“Was dad your soulmate?” His mothers eyes widened in shock for the briefest of moments before she schooled her features back to a passive face. 

“No sweetie. He wasn’t. I still haven’t found my soulmate. In fact, I didn’t even get my soul mark until just a few weeks ago.” Her eyes went misty again and Daichi looked at her in confusion.

“But mom, you’re so old. Why did you just get yours but I got mine last year?” His mother nearly snorted through her tears at her son’s blunt phrasing. 

“I am not that old Daichi!” She chuckled before continuing. “Typically honey most people don’t get their marks until they’re older, usually when they’re teenagers or in their early twenties. You see Dai, a soulmark appears on both parties when one of them desperately needs the other one. Look at Hayato and Risa, they are soulmates. When Risa was seventeen years old her mom passed away and she was very very sad and she needed someone to help her through that, she woke up one day to a burning on her hip and when she looked she had her mark. Knowing she had a soulmate out there that was looking at that same new mark on her skin made her feel better because she knew someone out there was going to love her. It took them a few more years before they found one another but they knew the other was out there looking for them too and that made each of them happy.” 

“But I’m only six! So my soulmate needed me and then I got this mark?” Daichi asked while grazing his hand over the mark on his shoulder. “I want to help them if they need help! I need to find them mom!” Daichi could feel his heart swell for the person on the other end of his mark. 

“Calm down a second Dai. It’s okay.” She placed her hand gently on top of his own that was covering the mark. “Dai honey I don’t think it was your soulmate that needed you. Do you remember when your mark appeared?” Daichi didn’t even have to think that hard, he knew exactly when his mark showed up on his skin. He nodded to his mother solemnly. “I think it was you who needed them Dai.” 

“You mean my soulmate is somewhere and they’re scared for me? I don’t want them to be scared. I need to find them mom. I don’t want someone I love to be scared.” Tears were welling up in Daichi’s eyes and he could do nothing to stop them from flowing over. His mother wrapped him up in a big hug and held him for several minutes until he could speak again. “I need them mom. I need to tell them I’m ok!” 

“I know sweetie. I know. You are the most amazing and kind boy I have ever met and I promise you will find them some day. But Daichi, I haven’t even told you the coolest part about it yet.” Daichi pulled away from his mom's chest to look into her eyes. “It may be awhile before you get to really meet them but there is a really cool thing that soulmates can do before they meet each other and when they meet each other. You can see each other's dreams! You can go to sleep and sometimes you can feel a pull in your brain and then you can see what they’re seeing in their dreams. Or sometimes when you’re having a dream it feels like someone is standing behind you and you know that they’re inside your dream.” Daichi stared at his mother for a long time while he thought over what she was saying. 

“But mom. I have really bad dreams sometimes. I don’t want them to see my bad dreams. Bad things happen in my dreams. I don’t want them to get scared too. What if they see what my dreams are and then they don’t like me anymore?” Nervous energy was racing through Daichi’s whole body. What if his soulmate wouldn’t like him anymore because of what happened to him or because he got really sad sometimes. 

“Daichi, they’re your soulmate. They are going to love you no matter what. If you went into one of their dreams and it was scary would that make you not like them?” Daichi shook his head immediately. He knew he would love them no matter what happened. “Then why would you think they would do that to you?” 

“Because bad things happened to me. What if they think I’m gross?” His last sentence was barely above a whisper. He looked up to his mother and both of them had tears in their eyes. His mother pulled him against her tight once again and held him tight. 

“Daichi Sawamura. You have never been, are not, and will never be gross. Do you understand me? You are an amazing little boy, yes bad things happened to you but none, NONE of that was your fault.If you blame anyone for this Daichi, its me. Not you. Your soulmate will love you no matter what, and if they don’t then they’ll have to answer to me.” Daichi nodded. Dr. Dawn tells him all the time that he isn’t bad or gross but sometimes he still feels like he did something wrong. 

“I’m sorry I made you cry mom.” Daichi whispered lightly against his moms shoulder. “What happens when I meet them? You said something special happens then too.”

“When you finally meet your soulmate baby you will just know. The mark will burn and you’ll get all kinds of fuzzy feelings in your tummy and you’ll just know. You’ll know you found them.” 

“I love you mom.”

“I love you too Daichi. How about we get some ice cream and you can ask me any other questions you can think of. Sound good?” Daichi nodded and followed his mom to the ice cream shop down the street. The pair talked for a long time about soulmates and dreams and everything else she knew about the subject. She told Daichi that sometimes if you got to know your soulmate through dreams for long enough you could sometimes change them or alter them somehow but that was pretty rare. She also explained how you can never see their face or talk to them but sometimes you could send each other feelings if you both were really focused. There were no more tears that day, only promises of happy futures and forever loves. 

It had been several long months since Daichi and his mother had talked about soulmates and every night Daichi would go to sleep and hope that he would get to see his soulmate finally but that hadn’t happened yet. He had decided not to tell Suga about his soulmark, not because he didn’t trust him but because he didn’t want to make Suga worry about him. Suga knew that Daichi got sad a lot and that big men scared him but Daichi had never told him what actually happened to him. He knew Suga wouldn’t like to know that bad things had happened to him and didn’t want to make him sad too. They played volleyball at the park as often as they could and even made some other friends in the neighborhood that liked to play with them too.

Daichi and his mom had ran away from their old home almost a year and a half ago. It was summer break from school and his mom was working at the shop when he went down to ask if he could go play at the park with Suga. She was slightly wary about letting him make the walk by himself but he promised to go straight there and then walk with Suga to his home when they were done and she could pick him up there. After several whiney ‘please mom!’’s she relented and made him promise to call her when they got back to the Sugawara’s house. He enthusiastically agreed and took off for the park. 

Daichi ran a few blocks before tiring slightly and decided to walk the last few blocks before he got to the park so he wasn’t too out of breath to play when he got there. Daichi looked up to the sky and admired the puffy clouds and the bright blue expanse of the sky, the mid afternoon sun beating down on him. Daichi was always happy if he could see the sun, the darkness brought out the monsters but the sun kept him safe. That’s what he’d always tell himself. 

He rounded the last corner on the way to the park and could see Suga sitting on the playground waiting for him. Daichi was about to wave at his best friend when the sound of squealing tires behind him startled and distracted him and he turned around to see what was happening on the street. When he turned around he saw a car that had just taken the corner way too fast and almost drifted into the other lane the car was coming at him quickly and before Daichi could even comprehend what was happening he saw the back door to the car fly open and arms reached out to grab Daichi right off the sidewalk he was standing on. Before he could blink again there were arms wrapped around his body and the back door to the car closed shut, sealing him in. 

[POV SUGA]

When he called Daichi earlier he said he would meet him at the park around 3:00. Suga headed off for the park a little before then, but brought his book with him just in case it took Dai a little bit to convince his mom to let him walk alone. She was always so worried when he walked somewhere alone, even if it was only the short walk to the park. He got to the park and sat down on the playground near the entrance so Daichi would see him when he got there. He buried his nose in his book and began reading. It was probably about twenty minutes later that he was pulled out of the book by the loud sound of squealing tires on the street in front of the park. Suga looked up from his book just in time to see Daichi on the sidewalk turn around from the sound and suddenly the car door opened and Daichi was gone! The car sped off down the street before Suga even had time to stand up or yell out to his friend. 

That car just took his best friend right off the sidewalk! Suga wanted to scream at the top of his lungs for the car to give him back but the car was long gone before he could do that. His feet took off as fast as they could move before his brain even had time to catch up. Suga sprinted as fast as he could all the way home and burst through his front door screaming. His mother immediately dropped what she was doing and ran to her son’s side. 

“Koushi, Koushi. Baby what’s wrong? Are you hurt? What happened, why are you screaming?” The woman was frantic but so was her child. Her adrenaline already taking over her rational thinking. 

“Daichi! Its Daichi! MOM! We have t-”

“What about Daichi? Suga is he hurt? Where is he?” Risa looked over Suga quickly but couldn’t find anything physically wrong with him. She tried to calm him down enough to speak in sentences but the poor boy was frantic. “Take some deep breaths for me Koushi. Breathe with me, remember how we breathe for Dai? Ok, I need you to do that for me now baby. Breathe.” She placed her sons hand on her chest and took deep breaths hoping he would follow her breaths but the boy was sobbing and she didn’t think he could hear anything she was saying. 

“Daichi! The car! MOM THE CAR!” 

“What car Kou? Where is Daichi? Please slow down so I can understand you. I want to help but I can’t until you tell me what happened.” Suga still couldn’t form words so Risa picked her son up and moved to the couch where her phone was laying. She called Kana without hesitation while trying in vain to calm down her son. The call connected after only a few rings. “Kana, where’s Dai? Is he with you? Kou is freaking out but I can’t get any real information from him. I think something happened.”

“Daichi was supposed to be meeting Suga at the park. He left twenty minutes ago. Oh god. I’ll be right there.” The phone was hung up before Risa even had a chance to say anything else to her friend. 

“MOM! THE CAR! DAICHI!” Suga’s face was completely red and his breaths were so shallow, Risa was terrified. 

“Koushi. I need you to look at me. Look in my eyes. Please baby, if you need to tell me something I need you to slow down for me.” She tried to keep her voice even but between her panicking son and her friends immediate concern on the phone she knew something bad had happened, she just needed to know what. 

“The car! Mom the car took him! He’s gone! The car took Daichi and drove away! We have to get him mom! Daichi! The car!” 

“Okay honey. Okay. We’re gonna get him back. We’ll get him back baby.” 

Risa calls the authorities immediately and not five seconds after the dispatcher tells her someone is on their way Kana flies through her front door with tears already in her eyes. Koushi throws himself off of his mothers lap and jumps into Kana’s arms before she even has time to speak. Kana wraps her arms around the crying boy without a second thought. Suga is mumbling under his breath but she isn’t listening to him. She simply looks up to her best friend with tear filled eyes begging to know what happened. 

“The police are already on their way. Koushi said a car took him. That's all I could get out of him before he would start hyperventilating again.” Kana looked down at the crying boy in her arms before she sat down on the floor where she was standing. 

“Koushi. Suga. Look at me?” Suga lifted his eyes to Kana’s slowly. “You want us to find Diachi, right?” She waited for him to answer but he just whimpered and nodded his head frantically. “Ok. Ok we are going to find him then but to do that you need to be able to talk to us and to the policemen that are going to find him. Can you do that?” Suga shook his head and his crying became harder again. “Nope. No I need you looking at my eyes. Daichi is your best friend, and he is super strong, right?” That got another nod from the silver haired boy. “Ok then I need you to be just like Dai right now. I need you to be strong like him so we can find him. Then when we find him, because Suga we ARE going to find him, you can give him a big hug and tell him you are strong just like him, ok? Can we do that?” Suga sniffled a few times before wiping his eyes and nodding to Kana. 

“I can be strong just like Dai.” A few more tears escaped his eyes and Kana held him close again. Kana was whispering encouraging words in Suga’s ear for several minutes as Risa cried for her son and her friend and for the boy who has already been through so much. 

The doorbell rang just then and Risa got up to get the door. The police entered the house and they had to have Suga tell the police exactly what he saw. The police asked questions about whether he saw who was driving or how many people in the car but he hadn’t seen that. He told them that it was a white car that looked older and had four doors and lots of stickers on the back. Kana held the boy close and told him how good he was doing. How proud she was of him for being strong like Daichi. When the police were done asking him questions Kana hugged him even tighter and told him he needed to go sit with his mom for a little bit while she talked to the police. 

Suga reluctantly let go and moved to the chair where his mother was sitting and listened quietly while Kana talked to the men about who had taken Daichi. He wasn’t listening to much they were saying but heard her say the car belonged to Daichi’s dad. Kana was saying something about him being a bad man. Suga didn’t know Daichi had a dad, he had never mentioned him before. The grown ups talked for a few more minutes then the police men left. At some point when he wasn’t paying attention his dad had come home and when he tapped Suga on the shoulder he went to his father and buried his face into the man’s shoulder. He loved his dad so much. He couldn’t imagine him being bad. Or having a dad that wasn’t super fun and amazing and it made him sad for his friend all over again. 

“I want Daichi back. I want my best friend dad. When will he come home?” His father looked at him with sad eyes, not knowing how exactly to respond when Kana walked up and put her hand on Suga’s head. 

“He will be home soon bud. Promise. He might be really sad when he gets back though so I’m going to need your help to be strong. Sound good?” Kana’s voice was as steady as ever but Suga could tell she was sad too. He reached his arms out to her so she could grab him from his fathers arms. Once he was secure in her arms he nestled his head to her shoulder like he had earlier and she hugged him tight. 

“We will be strong for him. I’ll be strong for my best friend. Promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've said it before and I'll say it again, I will never abandon a fic. Sometimes it just takes a long time until I'm in a good enough head space to update.   
> If you guys are still with me I'm more than happy and proud of you for putting up with my erratic update schedule and going months without a new chapter. But this time I SWEAR - next chapter is the final one before were caught up linearly to Kuroo and honestly its half written already but the chapter was just getting too long to keep it as one chapter so I'm breaking it into two. 
> 
> As always were unbeta'd so if you notice any huge fuck ups please let me know. Please keep commenting because they always make me warm and fuzzy inside. Hopefully 8 will be out this week. (no promises because I don't wanna be a liar lol)


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A NEW CHAPTER FINALLY!  
> I'll have a whole lot to say in my end notes but please enjoy this chapter. It is 2 am and I need sleep, as always were un beta'd and unedited but I realllllly wanted to get this too you guys. ENJOY!

When he heard the distinctive slam of a car door his fight or flight kicked in and his arms and legs started flailing, all while screaming incessantly. 

“Shut the fuck up, you piece of shit!” The voice that growled out the curses sent a violent shiver down Daichi’s spine. Kenji.

“NO! No! Get off me!” Daichi’s kicks and punches became more precise as he aimed his hands and legs for Kenji’s face or groin, fighting like hell to escape his grasp. 

“Just knock him out or something. Jesus. Just get the kid to shut the fuck up, Kenji!” Another familiar voice spoke from the front seat. His father. 

“No! Let me out! Let me out right now! MONSTERS!” Daichi’s voice was already going hoarse from screaming and he continued to thrash violently in the cramped back seat of the car. 

“Kenji! Seriously! He’s gonna attract attention screaming and flailing around like that. Just do it.” His fathers voice spoke again from in front of him. 

“Say ‘nighty night’ my little Daichi!” The mockingly sweet sounding voice of Kenji was the last thing Daichi heard as a towel was placed over his mouth and nose and the fight quickly died from his limbs as his vision slowly blacked out into nothing. 

Slowly sounds started to creep into Daichi’s head and the fog in his mind began to clear. He almost screamed at the mens voices he heard coming from in front of him but the afternoon slowly came back to his mind and he thought it best to keep his mouth shut and let them continue to think he was passed out. He had no idea how long had passed since he was knocked unconscious but since they were still in the car and he could tell the sun was still out he thought it couldn’t have been too long. He tried to listen to what his father and Kenji were saying as his brain continued to become less and less hazy. 

“-are we supposed to do with him now?” That was definitely Kenji’s voice. Daichi shivered again.

“We're taking him home where he belongs. At least for now. We will move out in the morning.”

“Isn’t your place gonna be the first place the cops look? Why would we go back there?”

“I need to grab a few things before we leave. We weren’t supposed to grab him today, remember? We were only going to learn his routine, find out where he would be vulnerable. I don’t have shit ready to go yet.” his fathers words were cold and held no emotion. “Besides he was heading to the park alone, no way anyone will even notice he’s gone for at least a few hours. We have time to pack the things we need before we leave.” 

His fathers and Kenji’s voices continued to chatter but the edges of Daichi’s vision was starting to blur again and slowly the noises faded away until everything was black and quiet once again. The in and out continued for several hours. He would hear small snippets of conversation from the two men in the front seat for a scant few minutes before the dark and quiet would creep back into his brain. He vaguely remembers the car stopping and the feeling of being manhandled, he thinks he fought and yelled but everything feels like a dream so he can’t know for sure. The next time Daichi has a full coherent thought he can feel the softness of a bed beneath him. A soft mattress that his body is painfully familiar with. He cracked open his eyes and could see the same room that haunted his very dreams. The same window he looked out to judge the passing of time. The same tattered books on the barely still together bookshelf. The same army green sheets on the bed, same worn paths in the hardwood on the floor. The room looked like it hadn’t been touched since the day his mother and himself had fled from the horrid home. A dread as heavy as a boulder settles in the pit of his stomach as his brain pieces together the days events. The sun is almost set behind the trees outside the window so it had to have been several hours since Kenji and his father had taken him from the street outside the park. 

Daichi’s mind drifts to Suga. Did Suga see what happened? Did he see Daichi being taken away or was he too busy reading his book to notice. He hopes that Suga doesn’t think that he didn’t want to play with him at the park and that somehow his mom knows he isn’t at the Sugawara house. Maybe Suga saw everything and there are people looking for him now. Maybe Suga didn’t notice at all and nobody even knows that he was taken at all. So many thoughts and questions are rolling through Daichi’s head so fast he can’t seem to hang on to a single one of them. He willed his brain to slow down so he could think better and breathed like Dr. Dawn had taught him. Breathe in, hold it, breathe out slowly. After a few minutes his brain had finally slowed down enough for Daichi to calm down and think about what to do. 

If he listened closely he could hear the voices of Kenji and his father coming from outside his door, they probably assumed he was still passed out from whatever had made him so loopy earlier. Hopefully that bought him a little bit of time to come up with a plan. He knew he had to get out of the house, who knew what the men would do to him this time. He still had nightmares about the last time he was left alone with Kenji and he knew he couldn’t let that happen again. Thankfully for him, he was no longer in a cast and he actually was able to run now. But run where? There was only woods between here and the main road and it was getting late so there might not be any people on the main road that could help him. If running wasn’t an option then he would have to hide. It took Daichi only a split second to decide exactly where he was going to hide. 

Before he ran he wanted to make sure he wouldn’t be caught, the doorknob was still missing from the door to his bedroom so he was able to quietly sneak over to the hole and peek through. He could see the fire burning in the fireplace in the living room but there was no other power on in the house, Kenji and his dad were still speaking quietly and seemed deep in conversation. As quietly as he could he crept back to his bed and began to open the window above him as silently as possible. Opening it only wide enough for his body to squeeze through. He knew once he hit the ground he wouldn’t be able to reach the frame to close the window again so the men would know exactly where he had escaped from. Daichi squeezed his body through the cracked window and dropped to the ground below. Thankfully the drop was only about five feet and he landed without hurting himself. Without a moment's hesitation he sprinted toward the woods with a single destination in mind. 

His heart was racing. He could smell the smoke from the chimney and the cedar trees surrounding him, the only light now was coming from the full moon overhead so the forest floor was dark and littered with tree roots and debris. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. It only took a minute or two before he started hearing the yelling. They had realized he was gone a lot faster than he thought they would. The fear that was clutching his chest squeezed even tighter and he almost tripped over his own legs as he ran even faster than he was before. Soon a familiar cliff face rose up in front of him and he veered to the right toward a small bush. He pushed the bush aside and quickly climbed into his small rock house hidey hole. It had been so long since he had been here but somehow he didn’t feel as safe as he did the last time he was there. He was inside the hole and the bushes were back in front of the entrance but he could still hear the angry shouting getting closer and closer to him. 

“Get your ass out here stupid boy…”

“Hiding is only gonna make it worse…”

“Don’t make me get your grandfather out here…”

“I paid good money for this…”

Daichi covered his ears to block out the screaming as it got louder and louder. He tried to breathe slow and even so it wouldn’t make much noise but he could tell they were getting closer. Seconds later the bush in front of the hole moved quickly and there was utter silence before arms reached in and grabbed Daichi by his shoulder and wrenched him from what was once his safe place. The hands pulled him out then let him drop the few feet to the damp forest floor below him. He felt an unrelenting pain in his side as his vision went spotty and he screamed in pain. Next thing he knew he was being picked up roughly and tossed over the shoulder of his father as he and Kenji continued their screaming. His body was awkwardly heaved and the pressure he felt through his ribs was excruciating, he couldn’t even hear what the other men were saying anymore. He was taken back into the house but instead of being put back into his old room, Daichi was dropped unceremoniously and quite painfully onto his behind in the basement. After his father had dropped him he had muttered something about ‘useless brats’ before he ascended the stairs and locked the door behind him. 

The basement hadn’t been used for anything but random storage for as long as he has been alive. Daichi himself had only ever been down here a handful of times himself, usually when his grandfather had gotten mad at him and sent him down there to ‘think’ for a few hours. The ground beneath him is half concrete and half dirt, as if the earth is beginning to reclaim the place for itself. It smells like mud and dust and the only source of light comes from the small crack under the door at the top of the steps that leads into the kitchen. 

His first instinct is to cry. Cry for himself and his ribs and butt that hurt from his rough handling. Cry for his mom who has surely realized by now that he was gone. Cry for Suga because Daichi had never turned up at the park, and Suga’s parents because Suga was undoubtedly crying if he knew Daichi was in trouble. Cry for the volleyball in his bedroom at home that he may never be able to play with again. Cry for the one place in the world he thought was safe, was no longer his get away. Cry because he just knew that Kenji would be down eventually and cry because he had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next or if he would ever get away from the men upstairs. So he cried. He shuffled his way into a corner furthest from the door and he cried for all the people he loved and wished he could feel their warmth in a hug right at that moment. He cried until the tears dried themselves up and must have drifted into a half sleep. 

He was startled awake by the sound of the door to the basement being kicked open loudly and then there were heavy booted footsteps pounding down the wooden planks. 

“My little D-daichi. Where are you hiding?” The man hiccupped. Kenji. He knew this would happen but that did not diminish the panic and fear that rose with bile in his throat. “There you a-are!” Kenji’s words were slightly slurred and much too bright and cheery for the current situation. He rounded the corner of the stairs and made his way on unsteady feet to where Daichi was curled up against the corner. “Stand up lil Dai! I have a present for y-you.” Afraid of what would happen if he didn’t listen to the order, Daichi slowly made his way to his feet, hand gripping his side careful not to move too quickly but he did not speak. Kenji made his way closer and closer to Daichi until they were nearly toe to toe, Kenji’s large frame towered over Daichi but the younger did not flinch, he refused to let Kenji know how scared he was at that moment. “My little Daichi…” Kenji’s hand reached out and touched Daichi’s face and he flinched away from the touch and the foul stench that seemed to follow the man around like a dense fog. Kenji’s hand started to fall from his face to his neck, to his arm and down to his hip. Thankfully on the side that wasn’t hurting. When Kenji’s hand gripped tightly to his hip and the man started to lean forward Daichi snapped. He didn’t want the vile older man anywhere near him, didn’t want his hands on him and didn’t want to smell or look at him anymore so Daichi thought of the only thing he could do in that moment and lifted his leg with as much power as his small frame could muster and landed his foot and all his power right between Kenji’s legs. 

The man made a guttural grunt and stumbled back several paces, giving Daichi much needed space and Kenji nearly dropped to his knees on the half dirt floor. He did manage to regain his footing after several seconds of clutching himself and groaning in pain. 

“You! You little piece of shit! How fucking DARE you!” Kenji was yelling and swearing and still clutching himself between the legs but managed to take several large steps toward Daichi before he reared back his fist and landed it square on Daichi’s jaw. Daichi dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes and clutched his side and face as both exploded in more pain. Still he did not utter one cry or whine at the pain that wracked his body. Daichi curled in on himself and braced his body for continued blows but before Kenji had a chance to hit him again there was a loud sound from upstairs then Daichi’s father was yelling for Kenji to get up there. “Just you wait you little shit. I’ll be back for you.” Kenji’s voice was laced with the most pure hatred the boy had ever heard but he still refused to make a sound before Kenji turned around and went back up the stairs yelling something back to his father. 

Once the door at the top of the stairs was closed and the room was thrown back into darkness Daichi finally felt his body relax enough to really feel the pain in both his jaw and his side. He had landed on the side with the hurt ribs and he once again wanted to cry. This time though he didn’t let himself. He just knew that someone would come to rescue him, they had to. He couldn’t let himself think about being stuck with the vile men upstairs any longer. Daichi couldn't tell just how long had passed but some time after Kenji had gone back upstairs he heard more shouting, lots and lots of shouting. Were those sirens? Could they be? He was almost afraid to hope but he had nothing left to cling to. The sounds coming from upstairs sounded like something out of the video games his dad sometimes played, lots of shouting and loud bangs. 

Soon a smell started to drift down the stairs from the small crack and it made Daichi’s eyes water. It took a few minutes for Daichi to realize it wasn’t just a smell at all but it was smoke. Thick and dark and heavy as it floated toward him in the dark basement. One thing he knew for sure was that smoke meant fire and a new kind of fear seized him. He didn’t know what to do next. There was still so much noise coming from the house above him but he knew that breathing in the smoke was bad. He laid down on the ground in the area with the most dirt and tried to cover his mouth with his shirt like he had learned in school. Several long minutes passed before things upstairs got slightly quieter. It was then that he heard someone shouting his name. The voice did not belong to his father or to Kenji and Daichi tried to yell back. To shout to let them know where he was but when he tried to hell he only started coughing. He drug himself up to the stairs and climbed them slowly, the smoke was much thicker here but he knew he needed to get out so he started pounding on the door as hard as he could in place of yelling. His shirt was still pressed over his mouth as he pounded with every ounce of strength he had left. He was coughing and banging on the door for what felt like hours before finally he heard a voice on the other side. 

“Daichi?” The boy tried to yell back, while it came out as more of a hoarse moan the man must have heard him because suddenly the door handle was jiggling wildly. “Hey kid, step back from the door. Something is wrong with the lock and I’ll have to kick it in.” Daichi scrambled back a few steps just as the door flung itself inward. Daichi looked up at a large man in a firefighters uniform. The mans looming figure made the boy flinch back on instinct but the firefighter dropped low and reached his hand out to Daichi slowly, like he was coaxing a small animal from under a bed. Now that the door was open he could see much of the house behind the man was up in flames and the heat he felt on his face was intense. “We gotta go kid. Let me get you out of here!” Daichi cautiously took the mans hand and was pulled to the top of the stairs before Daichi was suddenly and painfully lifted into the firefighters arms to carry him out of the burning home. The handling hurt his ribs but somehow knew that it would be faster this way and tried to keep his coughing and whimpering to a minimum until they were out the front door. 

As soon as he was outside he could see nothing but flashing red and blue. There were lots of police cars and a fire truck and an ambulance, he couldn’t see his father or Kenji anywhere but hoped with everything he had that they were in handcuffs in the back of one of the many police cars. The firefighter that had him in his arms walked straight through the sea of first responders and right to the back of one of the ambulances. Daichi was placed on one of the small beds in the truck and another large man approached him, speaking loudly but Daichi couldn’t make out his words over his own coughing and the rushing in his ears. The firefighter had run back somewhere out of sight and another large man approached the first and tried to talk to Daichi as well but he was so scared in that moment that all he could do was scream. He lashed his arms and legs out at any of the men that came near him until finally it seemed everyone was going to leave him. Daichi’s side was hurting. His jaw was hurting, it hurt to breathe and every hoarse yell and sob felt like fire in his chest but he was terrified to let any of the big men near him. Finally a very light voice filtered through the chaos and he heard his name.

“Daichi?” The voice was calm and gentle and he looked around quickly to find the face to match. He lifted his head to see a woman with short blonde hair and kind green eyes staring back at him. “There you are. Daichi. My name is Kazuno, I’m gonna help you, is that okay? You look like you’re hurting and I want to help you feel better.” Daichi nodded but cast a wary glance to the three men on the other side of the truck. “Look at me, ok? They won’t hurt you but if it makes you feel better they can stay over there unless I need their help. Does that work?” Her voice was so melodic and smooth, he looked back at her and nodded again and kept his eyes on hers. His breathing was still ragged and every breath still hurt him. “Perfect. You’re doing great kiddo. Can you breathe with me? While we breathe I’m gonna put this mask on your face and it will make your chest feel better.” again Daichi nodded as a breathing mask was placed on his face. “Awesome! Just keep breathing with me, yeah? You inhaled a lot of smoke down there. I bet your mom is gonna be super proud of how good you’re doing right now. Its been a rough day, huh?” Daichi kept his breathing steady and nodded when prompted. Kazuno’s voice was so gentle after all the harsh yelling and chaos. Once he was calm they laid him down carefully on the small bed in the back of the ambulance and the doors shut with only the two of them inside as they took off for the hospital. The whole drive she was talking quietly while checking him out and assuring him that he was doing well. At some point he started feeling really sleepy and she told him it was ok if he wanted to rest his eyes. Before he drifted to sleep in the moving vehicle he grabbed her arm and tried to talk but his voice was barely a whisper. She leaned closer to his mouth so she could hear him and he could have sworn he saw a tear in her eye when she heard his whispered “Thank you” just before he drifted into a light sleep. 

Daichi spent the next several hours in the hospital with Kazuno by his side. He refused to let go of her hand and she told him she would stay by him until his family got there. Of course the six year old had no idea how far above and beyond the woman was going for him but he was grateful to have her steady presence and gentle voice by his side as they took him for x-rays of his ribs and wrapped them up tight before putting him into a big bed to wait for someone to get there for him. He fell asleep holding Kazunos hand. 

The next time sleep releases its grip on Daichi he can feel sunlight hitting his face. He didn’t want to open his eyes yet. He was painfully aware of everything that had happened the day before and he honestly just wanted to keep sleeping and pretend all of it was a bad dream. It was right about this time he felt something warm against him shift and his immediate thought was fear. He quickly opened his eyes and glanced down, only to see a mop of silver hair leaning against his arm on the side without the hurt ribs. He immediately recognizes the head of his best friend and the familiar warmth of their bodies sleeping next to each other. When he looks up further around the room he finds his mother sleeping in a chair against the bed with her hands wrapped around one of Daichi’s small fists. On a small couch on the other side of the room sat a sleeping Risa and Hayato. Daichi smiled to himself. 

They were here. They had found him and he was with his family once again.

A tear escaped from Daichi’s eye in relief. When he moved to wipe the tear away he must have jostled Suga enough to wake him because the next thing he knows he is being pulled into a crushing hug that actually hurt his ribs quite a lot, but for suga he would put up with the pain. He hugged his friend back with the arm that wasn’t being held by his mom and together the pair cried for a long time together. 

“I was so scared Daichi. I saw you on the sidewalk then suddenly you were pulled into the car and you were gone so fast. I was so scared but Kana said I had to be strong just like you and that would help you come back faster. I hope I was as strong as you Dai. I just wanted you back so bad.” Sugawara was muttering and mumbling non stop as they clung to each other. “You’re my best friend Daichi. I never want to be scared like that again. Ok? I’ll keep you safe from now on. I promise. I’ll keep you safe from all the bad people.” 

“I was scared too Suga. I was so scared I would never come home again. But we were both brave and now I’m home.” They were so engrossed in their talk and their hug the pair failed to notice that they had woken up their parents who all watched on with tears in their own eyes, none of them willing to pull their boys out of this precious moment. “If you keep me safe, I’ll keep you safe too, ok? We can protect each other forever. Best friends. Forever.” 

The boy had a large purple and black bruise on his jaw, two broken ribs and had inhaled a lot of smoke but he came out of everything pretty well all things considered. It took another day in the hospital to set his ribs and make sure the smoke hadn’t done any permanent damage to his lungs but soon he was able to go home. Kazuno the EMT had come to check on him before he left with his mom and the Sugawara’s and the boy gave her the biggest hug he could manage before thanking her again for helping him. The sun was setting in the sky when Daichi and his mom walked into their small apartment and Daichi didn’t even hesitate when his mom asked if he wanted to sleep in her bed with her tonight. He wanted to be close to her as much as she wanted to be close to him. That night, curled up in the big bed with his mom behind him holding him close his mom had told him that his dad, his grandfather, and Kenji had been arrested and were in jail far away where they could never hurt him again. That night was the best night sleep he had gotten in years. 

Days passed easily, getting back into his normal routine. School, homework, playing with Suga, volleyball. He had to see Dr. Dawn more now but that was ok too. They changed the medicine he was on and that made him feel better too. The days turned into weeks, the weeks into months and eventually it felt like that horrible day had never even happened. That is, until he went to sleep at night. Nighttime was not a happy time for Sawamura Daichi. During the day he could pretend everything was fine but when he went to sleep at night he would always dream of mean shouting, unwanted touches, running through the woods, dark and damp basements, scary men, fire and thick black smoke. He was plagued by constant nightmares. Some that were very real and replayed like a movie in his head, others entirely made up from his unconscious mind. 

Suddenly though, things changed slightly. He was having one of his usual nightmares, of him running through the woods to his rock house hidey hole while dad and Kenji were chasing him but this time while he was running, it felt like someone was running with him. When he climbed into the hole it felt like a warm blanket was on top of him, he felt safer even though he knew they were about to find him. Like he was being watched, but not in a scary way. 

When he told his mom about this over breakfast she nearly started to cry. “Daichi, honey. I think what you felt was your soulmate. Remember I said that eventually you would share your dreams with each other.”

“But mom! I don’t want them to see that! That was a bad dream…” Daichi was nearly crying too now. The first time his soulmate had made that connection with him was when he was scared and running for his life. “What if… what if I scared them?” 

“Dai my sweet boy. Only you would live your worst night over again and be scared for someone else. Your heart is bigger than the moon baby.” His mother walked around the table and gathered him up in a hug. “When you feel them with you in your dreams, embrace it. Feel their warmth and let them make you feel better, ok?” Daichi nodded and the pair continued their morning. 

Over the next several months he and his soulmate shared many dreams. Daichi always preferred to be pulled into their dreams instead of them seeing his nightmares. His soulmate dreamed of good and happy things most of the time. Sometimes its a sunny day on a beach. Or a hike in the mountains. Eventually he got to see his soulmate. It wasn’t much of a surprise at all when he realized that his soulmate was a boy. Probably the same age as him but a little taller. In one of the dreams he was pulled into he realized that his soulmate played volleyball and he was so excited about it he rushed into his mom’s room the second he woke up to tell her all about it. 

Daichi still remembers the first time his soulmate altered one of his dreams. It was another nightmare about the basement. He was curled up in the corner and crying for all the things he never thought he would see again. Suddenly he felt those familiar eyes on him and that only made him cry harder. His soulmate was seeing him so broken and hurt and he just wanted his soulmate to know he was sorry for always making his dreams scary or sad. He sat there crying until he suddenly felt warmth on him. The hands in front of his face slowly dropped away and he looked up to see a window letting in the faintest of morning sun rays. That was never there before. How did that window get there? He looked around the space as the sun warmed his face and he felt his body visibly relax. Somehow he knew, just knew that the boy that was to be his forever had made that window just for him.

The months eventually turned into years, then even more years. He lived his life to the fullest. When they were around ten, Daichi finally told Suga everything from when he was young. About his father and Kenji, getting away and then the kidnapping, his soulmark, his soulmate,his nightmares. All of it. The pair cried together and they remade their promises from all those years ago to protect each other no matter what. Him and Suga joined the volleyball team in middle school and they loved to play together and with a whole team it only got better. Him and his mom would go on hikes or they would go on camping trips with Suga’s family to his favorite lake. He went to amusement parks and birthday parties. Things were normal. His life got better and eventually he got better. He could be a normal kid.

His nightmares still plagued him at night but his soulmate, his wonderful and brilliant soulmate had somehow found a way to change things in almost every nightmare he was pulled into. Daichi tried as hard as he could when he got pulled into his soulmates dreams to change things but no matter what he did he couldn’t seem to make it happen. Until he was twelve. 

**When he is pulled into the dream he can tell something is wrong. The sky above him is dark aside from the stars and the ground beneath him is damp and cold. His soulmate is laying on the ground with tears in his eyes as he stares at the sky above him. It was then that Daichi noticed the cast on his soulmate's leg. A sad feeling washes over him as he knows how much pain the boy must be in, he has felt the same pain after all. But he also knows that the boy crying at the stars loves to play volleyball as much as he does and if he’s hurt it means he won't be able to play for a while and that has to really suck. Daichi just wants to make his soulmate feel better. The boy has helped him so many times when he was scared or hurt in a dream and all Daichi wants to do is return the favor. He takes in the damp earth and dull sky and decides he wants to change it. He has no way of knowing how but in his own mind he starts to picture his favorite place. It's a lake that he loves to go to in the summer with his family. The sky is always full of sunshine and puffy clouds, the grass is green and lush, the trees whisper in the wind and there is always an amazing breeze coming off the crystal blue water of the lake. In his mind Daichi conjures up the exact emotion and feeling he gets when he is at the lake and just wishes he could take the boy there instead of being here. When Daichi opens his eyes he is immediately shocked by what he sees. Its the lake. He did it. He took his soulmate to his lake. The sun, the trees, the grass, the lake, everything. It's like they are really there. Daichi can see the boy's hand drop from his face and look around in wonderment. Daichi would do just about anything to be able to see the look on his face but the soaring feeling he has in his heart would have to do for now. Like everything was going to be okay. Daichi has no idea how he was able to change the dream so fully but he doesn’t care. It was in that moment that Daichi could feel himself falling in love.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew. That was long but I am so happy to finally post this chapter. I have unfortunately been super unmotivated to write lately but some really amazing comments lately have inspired me. 
> 
> FINALLY WE ARE CAUGHT UP TO KUROO.  
> Jesus this fic took on a mind of its own. Seven whole chapters to make things linear. I'm both sorry and not sorry for it. 
> 
> Truly if you guys are still with me I appreciate you more than you can ever imagine. Thank you for putting up with my shit. 
> 
> I'm thinking about making a twitter for this account so you can all yell at me about my fics there too, would you guys want that or even care? Let me know.
> 
> As always guys your comments and kudos mean the absolute world to me and truly keep me going. If people didn't care I probably wouldn't keep going but you guys are so fricking nice and encouraging and it makes me all warm and fuzzy. 
> 
> I LOVE YOU ALL.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


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